Honor Among Rogues
by AGodofIrony
Summary: Blackfire is assembling a team, determined to take down the Titans and get revenge. She recruits Jack Spicer at first, intending to steal the Iron Man armor for him. The two will then have to work together to find three more members for Blackfire's team, if they're going to have any hope of taking the Titans down. Additional crossovers include: TMNT, Spider-Man, Iron Man, more.
1. Unseen Potential

A.N. Muhahahahaha! I actually had the basic idea for this story around the same time as _A New Team_ but now I'm finally fleshing it out and putting it out there.

This story, like all my stories lately, is part of the _Earth 42_ stuff I've been writing and putting together. Of those stories, I would recommend checking out _A New Team_ for this, as it explains a couple things you see around the end of the chapter, but it's not completely necessary.

I recommend reading it anyways though because it is the first thing in my _Earth 42_ universe as well, and I'm quite proud of it.

Anyways, enjoy the story!

* * *

Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius, frowned as he climbed out of his jet, hitting the ground with a loud thud, the noise echoing across the large and empty workshop. He groaned, simply laying on the ground for several minutes before his body protested the cold concrete. With a grunt of effort he forced himself up, grabbing the edge of a table and pulling himself upright, his body shaking for the moment.

Another Shen Gon Wu come and gone. It was almost like he didn't even matter anymore. The Xiaolin Dorks, as Jack referred to them as, had won again. He had managed to become part of the Showdown this time, but between Wuya, his former mentor, and Kimiko, the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, he hadn't stood much of a chance, and lost his last Shen Gon Wu, the Monkey Staff.

Now he was Wuless, and the prospect of trying to steal some seemed slim, without the use of any Wu to begin with. Chase Young wouldn't even give him the time of day, despite everything he tried.

"Maybe you should stop looking for those useless trinkets and focus on something you're good at."

Jack spun around, an unfamiliar voice calling to him, holding up his hands.

"St-stay back! I'll have you know I can fight like the best of them!" Jack yelled, red eyes searching the room.

"Oh calm down if I wanted to hurt you, I would have..."

Jack frowned, lowering his hands as a figure stepped out from the shadows, grinning darkly. She was a tall teenage girl, with long black hair, orange tinted skin, and purple eyes. She wore a short black skirt and tube top, with some kind of flexible metal-like material over her shoulders, arms, midriff, and her legs, along with a pair of long black boots. A black gem sat just above her chest in the metal, and there was something...alien, about the girl.

"Who are you?" Jack frowned, narrowing his eyes, "Don't tell me you're another daughter of one of my parents' friends. Last time one of them came down here, did not end well."

Jack's look soured, recalling Katnappe. Even she beat him in fights...

The black haired girl laughed, then floated into the air suddenly, moving a little closer to Jack, "No, nothing so mundane as that. I suppose I should be disappointed that you don't know who I am, but then again your planet is _so_ backwards."

"My...planet...?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow, "You're...an alien?"

"Bingo!" the girl said, grinning and snapping her fingers, "I'm a Tamarian. Ever hear of the Titans?"

Jack paused, rubbing his chin, then nodded, "Yah, some goody goodies in California. Only know of them nominally, some of the Evil Villain Forum goers have run ins with them."

"Oh there's a forum?" the girl said, rubbing her eyebrow now, looking almost amused, "Just _what_ have I been missing out on?"

She laughed dryly, Jack looking confused as the girl floated around, stopping at a wreck of a robot, peering at it. "What happened to this one?"

"Spontaneous combustion of it's fuel cell when hit with a high kinetic force," Jack answered with a shrug, "Something I need to tweak in later models, need to increase it's force absorption, along stabilizing the fuel core."

The girl turned to Jack, raising an eyebrow.

"It blew up when it got kicked," Jack simplified, "And I don't want that to happen again."

"Ah," the girl said, "With all these robots and toys, seems like you could fix that issue..."

Jack snorted, "Yah, if I had the time. Fixes like that don't happen overnight, unless I'm very lucky. I need time to make and test things, and most of the time I have to rely on prototypes. And then if they get wrecked, I have to start over in the building..."

The girl smiled slightly, floating a little closer towards Jack. The pale teenage boy found himself turning a little red. This alien girl was attractive...

"And you don't have the time because of those...Shen Gon Wu, right?" the girl asked, "They appear randomly?"

"More or less," Jack answered, "There might be some kind of pattern, but if there is neither the Xiaolin Dorks or I have been able to figure it out. Sometimes I get a week, maybe a day or two."

"And you'll fight with them bare handed?" the girl asked again, "Doesn't that seem...silly?"

"Well I'll use Wu," Jack answered with a shrug, "What else am I suppose to do?"

The girl frowned, almost glaring at Jack, "God, you _are_ an idiot."

"Hey!" Jack yelled, "What the heck do you mean by that?"

The girl laughed, holding her head back for a few moments, then cut the laugh short, glaring hard at Jack Spicer.

"Look, I did my research before I came here. Everyone I talked to called you a loser, a wanna be, a no one. Someone not to waste their time with. But I looked a bit deeper. You _do_ have talent, something I think would be very useful to me. You're just not focusing on it."

"And what do you mean by that?" Jack asked, folding his arms over his chest, debating on summoning his few working Jack-Bots to show this girl out.

The girl sighed, looking to the side, tapping her chin in idle thought for a moment, "Say there's a guy who's great at playing the piano. He knows he's great at it, and if he just focused on it, he could probably accomplish a lot of what he wants to do. But instead he spends his time trying to master the long jump, when everyone around him is better then him at it by ten fold. He insists he's good at the long jump, despite all evidence to the contrary."

"...I don't know how to play the piano though..." Jack said, and the black haired girl face palmed, groaning softly before looking back at Jack.

"Okay, maybe a metaphor isn't the way to go," the girl said, "You're good with machines. I could see that, even under your idiocy and stubbornness to charge at opponents much stronger then you without your best strengths. Have you ever thought of...ohhh...I don't know, building a robotic suit?"

Jack opened his mouth, holding up a finger to retort, then paused, closing his mouth and staring critically at the girl.

"Well...yah...any super evil genius worth his salt has thought about it," Jack answered with a shrug, "But there's a lot of factors. You can't just build it in pieces. You have to build it all at once. You can make an arm but you can't exert any force unless it's got something backing it so you don't wrench a socket. Then you have to build the frame, and the frame's gotta be flexible enough, but then you need to make it sturdy...Give me like half a year and I could build one I would be happy with, and then I'd need time to test it..."

"What if you had a blueprint to use, something to base it on?" the girl asked now, turning to look more at the workshop.

Jack blew out a breath, thinking quickly, "Well let's see, assuming materials aren't a problem...maybe a week? It would depend on the blueprints, and what I'd need to make. I'd want to do some tweaking, make it more of my own, you know? Say two, three weeks tops."

The girl smiled brightly, then turned to Jack, "And I've been so rude. I haven't even introduced myself yet. My name is Blackfire. Heard of me?"

"...No...?" Jack said, then flinched, fearing that the girl would hit him. Blackfire just laughed again, shaking her head.

"This is only my second visit to Earth, and my first visit was fairly low key," Blackfire said, "Unless you're subscribed to an interstellar newsletter, I doubt you'd have heard of me."

"I have a Twitter..." Jack said almost sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"A what? Never mind," Blackfire said, shaking her head when Jack opened his mouth to start explaining, "I don't want to waste the brain cells. Anyways, I have a proposition for you."

"I've been burned on super villain team ups before," Jack said, frowning and crossing his arms over his chest, becoming defensive, "Besides, I have Wu to find and take."

"Yes, I saw your last battle. Lost pitifully. Do you even have any of that...Wu...left?" Blackfire asked, smirking at the red haired male.

Jack scowled, refusing to answer and just looked to the side.

"Look, you're being distracted by those trinkets," Blackfire said, "You have to play to your strengths. Didn't you have ambition before you started this whole Wu thing?"

"Well...yah..." Jack answered, rubbing his arm, "Then I got that puzzle box, there was Wuya, and the Wu started activating..."

"And you got fixated on it," Blackfire said, shaking her head, the floated until she was in front of Spicer, landing on the ground. She was taller then the boy, Jack looking up at her face and trying very hard not to look lower down. "I want to offer you a deal, Spicer. Work with me. I want to put together a team. People with talent. We can help each other. Forgot the Wu...work with me, and you'll go places...heck, if you want to later, I can help you get revenge on those enemies of yours. What do you say?"

Jack frowned, looking off to the side now. It was...tempting. He would like to get back to working on his robots, and he was out of Wu. Even his neglectful parents were beginning to wonder about the bruises and abrasions Jack came home with many times.

"Come on...you need to get out of your rut. I even know where to get those blueprints for your suit," Blackfire pressed, "Ever been to New York City?"

The red haired evil genius paused, looking thoughtful, "Iron Man? How the heck would we get those blueprints?"

"Easy," Blackfire answered, "His armor's schematics have been found. There's Stark Industries, Hammer International...probably a few back alley places too. Should be simple to steal."

Jack took a deep breath, then sighed faintly, "Alright then. I might as well give it a shot. If anything maybe those Xiaolin losers will think I've given up, and then BAM I can show back up and take them by surprise."

"That's the spirit," Blackfire smiled, holding out her hand, "We will have to recruit a few more. I want a team after all."

"Hey, just as long as I'm an equal," Jack said, shaking Blackfire's hand, wincing slightly at the girl's strength and his own bruised hand, "I've had too many team ups where I got burned..."

* * *

A figure in black moved through the halls, ducking behind a wall as a flashlight played over where he had been moments before. The security guard frowned, but shrugged and moved on. The figure in black smirked beneath his skull mask, then darted forward again, moving silently.

He stopped in front of large metal door, looking down at a keypad. He produced an odd looking card, inserting it into the slot. After a few seconds it beeped, and the door opened, Red X darted in, his hand flashing up and placing a small red X on a security camera. It sparked for a few moments, then started playing the interior of the elevator on loop, only showing it empty to anyone watching the video feed.

Red X stood inside now, tapping out a code inside the elevator, and the elevator began to move, going downwards. He jumped up now, pushing against the edges of the top of the elevator, handing there quietly as the elevator came to a stop.

The door opened and Red X braced himself, waiting for the security guards to investigate. After a few moments, nothing happened, and the door began to close on it's own. The thief frowned, then swung down, moving between the doors before they closed on him, producing a red X to throw in case of some kind of ambush.

Nothing. This was unusual, and Red X wasn't someone to think he was lucky until the job was over and done with. He stepped forward carefully, pausing when he heard a grunt. He spotted a security desk, and walked over to it. There was two men in uniform, one of them still unconscious and propped against the chair. A second was beginning to wake up. Both were tied up tightly, and Red X looked around.

So he wasn't the only one looking to find something here...

He bent down and sprayed the guard who was gaining consciousness with a red spray, knocking him back out, then straightened up slowly, mentally playing through his next steps. Whoever was here had a head start on him, but Red X was certain that they hadn't left yet.

Red X walked forward, admiring everything here. Oscorp was a very rich biotech company, and any one thing here could set him up for quite a while if he wanted to take it and sell to one of their competitors, like Biosyn.

But that wasn't why he was here. He was after a very specific item, and know he knew that so was someone else, hearing the small noises of someone working on not being heard.

A large safe was open just slightly, and Red X came to a stop just outside, pressing himself against the wall, listening carefully.

"Come to momma now, you beautiful piece of goo...You're going to make me very, very rich..." Red X heard. A girl...Interesting.

Red X took a deep breath, producing one of his Xes and waited patiently. After a few minutes the door to the safe opened, and Red X spun, bringing his X around in a quick jab, startling the white haired girl who was coming out.

A clear case containing a black sludge-like thing flew from the girl's hands, and Red X leaped forward, taking advantage of the other thief's surprise, grabbing it in mid air and landing carefully, turning.

A foot flew towards him, faster then he expected, knocking him backwards and slamming him into a hard metal wall. He kept hold of the case, looking up and smirking beneath his mask.

The white haired girl lowered her leg, smirking back. Her hair was long, and she wore a black mask along with a black cat suit, flexing her hands slightly.

"I've heard of you," Red X said, rubbing his chin, "Quite a kick, Black Cat."

"There's more where that came from if you don't hand that over," Black Cat said, her eyes darting towards the case in Red X's left hand. Red X stood up carefully, tossing the case up into the air before grabbing it as it came back down.

"Tell you what. You're quite a cute thief, and I'm smart enough to know a fight between us will probably alert security and get us both in trouble and without a paycheck between either of us," Red X said, "Let's split this, 50/50. And I'll treat you to dinner, wherever you want, out of my half."

Black Cat smiled slyly, walking forward but stopped outside of attack range for either of the two, tapping her chin, "But I was here first. I did most of the work. Make it 80/20, and _I'll_ pay for the dinner."

"Oh ho ho," Red X said, "I think I'm in love, kitty. But those private islands to retire to don't pay for themselves. Tell you what, how much were you offered for this? 500 mil for me."

"Same here," Black Cat answered, "Don't ask me who though. A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

"Wouldn't ask you to," Red X said, tossing the black goo from one hand to the other, "But I'm not a lady. Guy named Dodgson, from Biosyn."

Black Cat looked startled now, then narrowed her eyes. "Okay then...something's up. That's who hired me..."

Red X frowned as well. The same man hired too different people to get the same object for him, without telling the other, "Well that's odd. Wonder what his game is..."

"We could find out," Black Cat said, then turned to the door, "We should get out of here, discuss specifics somewhere more appropriate."

Red X grinned, following the girl. He had no real reason to trust her, and she him, but she was cute, and even if she double crossed him, he'd have fun, and no real loss. He preferred working for himself then for someone as it was.

"Someone's here."

Red X and Black Cat froze. Neither of them had said those two words, and they glanced towards each other. Black Cat jumped upwards, latching unto the ceiling. Red X ducked behind a wall of computer data, pulling out another X.

Two security guards appeared, shining their flashlights around, nervous. They had seen what happened to the other two.

"Shit, the vault's open!" one of them said, noticing the door to the vault was ajar. He hurried forward, opening it up and peering inside.

Red X heard a hiss, and Black Cat swung down kicking the back of the security guard, forcing him into the vault. Red X jumped forward, throwing his X at the second, knocking the gun from his hand. The guard stumbled, clutching his hand now, before reaching for his radio.

Red X threw another X, this one embedding itself into the radio, causing sparks and destroying it. He darted at the man, punching him hard in the gut and forcing him to double over, before spinning around and slamming his elbow into the back of his head, knocking him to the ground, down and out.

He looked up, seeing Black Cat cracking the case of the radio of the other guard, having finished him off and stepping out of the vault.

"Just leave 'em, we should get out now, before they notice these guy's absences," Black Cat said, "Besides, they probably called in those other two guards earlier."

"Right...here, hold tight to me kitty," Red X said, stepping forward and putting an arm around Black Cat, who raised an eyebrow at him.

"A little forward there, don't you think? You haven't even bought me that dinner yet," the white haired girl chuckled, as Red X pressed a button on his belt.

"Just keeps your arms and legs inside at all times and enjoy the ride, babe," Red X smirked, as he and Black Cat suddenly vanished, disappearing into thin air.

* * *

Black Cat stumbled on the rooftop, falling to her hands and knees and breathing deeply, closing her eyes and sucking in air, trembling.

"Sorry about that," Red X said, "It can be a little difficult, with your first time and all. I'll try to take it slower, if you want."

"I'm _fine_," Black Cat said, pushing herself up and shaking her hair out slightly, "I got to say though, that's one nifty trick for a getaway...now that we're out of danger..."

Her eyes looked towards the capsule on Red X's belt, hooked there earlier. The black goop in it moved, pressing against it's confines, wanting to get out.

Red X pulled it off his belt, then tossed it to Black Cat, the girl catching it and staring at him, frowning at his gesture.

"I may be a thief, but I'm a gentleman," Red X said, "You were there first. Besides, I'd rather not deal with some guy who offers money to two different thieves. Something wrong about that."

"...I have to agree," Black Cat said, peering at the creature in the capsule, "I was paid to capture this thing a bit ago. But Spider-Man somehow got a hold of it..."

She narrowed her eyes when she spoke the hero's name, clenching the capsule tightly.

"What the hero do to get you mad at him?" Red X asked, scratching his chin. "Or would you rather not talk about it?"

"It's...personal..." Black Cat said, "Let's leave it at that."

Red X opened his mouth to say something, then stopped, deciding that a smart-alek remark would not be the wisest thing to say at this point in time. Instead he just shrugged.

"It's dropped. Now then, why don't we-"

Red X stopped abruptly, turning suddenly and pulling out an X, spinning to the side and narrowing his eyes at a figure who was sitting on a nearby billboard.

"Hey don't mind me," Spider-Man said, "I was just webbing by and notice you two. Figured I'd stop by and say hello to some fellow rooftops denizens."

"Leave us, Spidey," Black Cat scowled, "I still haven't forgiven you."

Spider-Man frowned, jumping from the sign and landing lightly on the rooftop, "Look, I just want to know what's happening. I've been hearing about some thefts recently, and, well..."

He trailed off, knowing it would be obvious.

"Look boy scout, you can go crawl back to your web," Red X said, "Maybe you've caught yourself dinner by now."

"Ouch," Spider-Man said, miming an injury in his side, "That hurt buddy, and here I am just trying to...to..."

Spider-Man trailed off, seeing the capsule in Black Cat's hand, the black goop inside it reacting to it's first host's presence, trying vainly to get out.

"Oh no...no...not that...not the Symbiote...Where did you find that?" Spider-Man said, taking a few steps back, eyes widening, "You shouldn't have that!"

Spider-Man held up his hand, shooting web at the capsule now. Black Cat jumped back, avoiding the sticky substance, scowling at the red and blue suited hero.

"Found it just lying around," Red X answered, throwing several Xes at Spider-Man, one of them expanding to try and capture Spider-Man. The arachnid themed hero leaped into the air, avoiding the Xes and shot more web. Red X disappeared from view, reappearing ten feet to the side, the web missing him.

Spider-Man landed on the ground, crossing his arms and shooting web at Black Cat and Red X now.

"Listen to me, that thing's dangerous, it has to be destroyed!" Spider-Man said, "Trust me, please!"

"I'm never trusting you again, Spider-Man!" Black Cat yelled, jumping to avoid the web, darting at him and swiping with her claws, the symbiote hooked to her belt now. Spider-Man danced backwards, barely avoiding the claws.

Spider-Man suddenly jumped to the side, avoiding several Xes that embedded themselves in the ground where he was. Red X landed next to Black Cat, glancing towards her.

"We could warp out of here again, if you want," Red X suggested, "Though it seems like you have some anger to work out here."

Black Cat hesitated, glancing towards her fellow thief. The smart thing to do would be to escape...but she really wanted to punch Spider-Man.

"Titan, go!"

Red X froze, turning as he heard a new voice, finding himself tackled by a green figure wearing a red hood. The two wrestled for a few moments, before Red X forced him off, the figure hitting the roof and picking himself up.

"Hey there TT," Spider-Man said, nodding to Turtle Titan, who grinned, nodding back. "Thought you couldn't patrol tonight."

"I, uhhh, snuck out," Michelangelo said, rubbing the back of his head, "Don't tell Splinter or the others."

"Your secret is safe with me...Besides, I'm glad you're here. We need to get that capsule from them," Spider-Man said, pointing to the Symbiote trapped in the capsule on Black Cat's belt.

"Gotcha!" Turtle Titan grinned, producing a nunchuck, spinning it around. "We Titans got to stick together..."

"A giant...turtle?" Red X said, "And I thought Jump City was weird."

He shrugged, then produced a few more Xes, ready to fight. Black Cat shifted her feet as well, glaring at the two heroes.

Spider-Man and Turtle Titan leaped forward, Michelangelo swinging his nunchucks at Red X, who blocked them with one of his Xes, darting to the side and bringing his foot around, slamming it into Turtle Titan's back, the turtle stumbling forward but otherwise unharmed, thanks to his hard shell.

Spider-Man shot several webs at Black Cat, then cried out in triumph, hooking the capsule and pulling it towards him.

Red X threw one of his Xes, slicing through the web, the capsule clattering to the ground and rolling towards Spider-Man. Spider-Man shot another web, but Red X vanished, reappearing by the capsule and grabbing it, scooping it up.

The web hit his arm instead, and Spider-Man tugged, Red X being pulled towards the red and blue clad hero. Red X used the momentum and twisted himself in the air, slamming his feet into Spider-Man's chest, knocking the hero back before spinning backwards and landing on the roof.

Turtle Titan appeared from the side, tackling Red X, wrestling with him, Red X slapping an X on Turtle Titan's chest, where it expanded and grabbed him. Red X pushed him off, grabbing the capsule and leaping backwards now.

Spider-Man shot balls of web at Red X, one of them knocking the capsule out of his hands, covering it in web, leaving behind several balls of web on the roof.

One of them contained the capsule.

Turtle Titan wrenched free of the giant X, and all four jumped for the balls of web, trying to find the capsule.

Just as Spider-Man reached for one, a blast of purple energy forced him backwards, the same with Turtle Titan.

A sleek black mini jet appeared above them, two figures grinning down. One was a girl with black hair, purple energy glowing from her hands.

"I really hate Titans..." the girl said, then held up her hands, forming a large ball of purple energy, throwing it down at Turtle Titan and Spider-Man, creating a large explosion, throwing them backwards, over the edge...

Blackfire sighed, landing down on the rooftops, glancing towards Red X and Black Cat. From the jet, supported by two whirling blades landed Jack Spicer, grinning at them.

"They're just lucky Blackfire here took care of them," Jack said, snapping his goggles on his head, then whined at the pain.

Blackfire rolled her eyes, then stepped towards Red X.

"Red X, right? I've heard about you...I like your style...I want to offer you a job...chance of a lifetime," Blackfire said, smiling at the thief.

"Tempting," Red X said, "But I have a previous engagement."

Blackfire frowned now, glancing to Black Cat, who was scowling as she tore open a ball of web, not finding anything.

"I'll triple whatever you're being paid," Blackfire said, "Or if that's not good enough, you can name your terms."

"Triple's plently. For me and her," Red X said, pointing a thumb towards Black Cat, "And she comes with. If you want me, you want a thief, and she's just as good as me."

"Better," Black Cat said, frowning as she stood up, "None of these have it..."

"Don't worry about it, we have a much better deal now," Red X said, "So let's go...we can discuss specifics in your plane."

"Yah, yah, just don't mess it up," Jack said with a scowl, rising up into the air with his heli-pack, "I just vacuumed it out."

Red X and Black Cat got into the jet, and the four took off...

Down in the alleyway, Spider-Man was breathing heavily, grabbing the edge of a fire escape with one hand, Turtle Titan hanging by his leg.

"You okay Mikey?" Spider-Man asked, "I know I have the proportional strength of a spider, but..."

"Yah, I'm fine dude!" Turtle Titan said, "Hold on..."

Spider-Man felt the weight from his leg disappear, and then a clatter of metal as Turtle Titan landed on the fire escape below him, "Alright, let's go!"

"But the Symbiote, we have to-"

"I got it," Michelangelo grinned, producing a ball of web from his shield. He tore it open, showing the case with the black Symbiote in it. "Managed to snag it right before we got hit with that energy. Now let's head out before they find out."

Spider-Man laughed, then nodded, "Yah...we have to figure out a way to destroy that thing...I tried once, and it didn't work..."

"We'll ask my bro Donny!" Mikey grinned, climbing down the fire escape, "He's good at all that science stuff."

Spider-Man nodded, climbing down after him, "Sounds good. I can let him know that it's weak to sonic vibrations too."

"Sonic whatsits?" Mikey said, scratching his head.

"...Loud noises," Spider-Man simplified, "And didn't you sneak out?"

"Oh yah..." Turtle Titan said, then chuckled, "Well this is more important anyways."

The two entered the sewers now, Mikey running around the side, with Spider-Man crawling along the wall, heading for the Turtle's home.

* * *

"So you want us to steal the Iron Man armor blue prints?" Red X said as Jack Spicer's jet shot through the darkness, heading back to Spicer's home, "That'll be a challenge...we have a couple different possibilities..."

Blackfire had introduced herself and Jack, neither of the two seeming to recognize Jack, though Red X had heard of Blackfire, having spent some time in Jump City.

"You need to get _all_ the armor specs," Jack spoke up from the pilot's seat, "Not just one of them."

"No problem," Red X said, waving his hand idly, "Should be a lot of fun. So that's 150 mil, right?"

"Of course," Blackfire said, "Just as long as you don't mind it in gold and gems, and not cash."

"Sounds good to me. How about you, kitty?" Red X said, turning to Black Cat, who was in the seat next to him.

"I think we have a deal," Black Cat said, smiling. "Let's plan this heist..."

* * *

A.N. Blackfire is assembling a team, but to what ends? Will they be able to steal the Iron Man blueprints, and if they do can Jack actually build himself armor with them?

Find out next chapter, as the team splits to get their missions done...

Characters and universes:

Blackfire and Red X from _Teen Titans_ (cartoon)

Jack Spicer from _Xiaolin Showdown_

Spider-Man and Black Cat from _The Spectacular Spider-Man_ (cartoon)

Turtle Titan/Michelangelo from _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ (2003 series)

Iron Man armor/references from _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_

Additional references: I hope you can spot it and know what it is!


	2. Energy Crisis

A.N. So hey! This story is going to end up a bit longer then I originally planned. Which is a good thing!

Also, thinking about it, I'm not so sure that Red X and Blackcat would agree to work with Blackfire in taking down the Titans. It doesn't seem like something Blackcat would do, and Red X would probably try to avoid that.

Soooo...While they're still in the story, and getting the armor for Blackfire and Jack, they'll probably part ways after that, but I'm still unsure if Red X won't agree or not. I'm still batting that around.

Expect a couple new faces in later chapters to expand on that. I'm thinking there's going to be about three to four more chapters in this story as well, so you all know.

For now, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Jack wasn't stupid. Naïve, maybe, but he wasn't stupid. Every single time he teamed up with another villain, he got the short end of the stick. Even when he teamed up with a robot of his own creation, things never went his way.

He knew Blackfire was assembling a team. He was pretty sure he knew why, after doing a little research. If he was honest with himself, it wasn't that he knew _why_, he just knew _who _she wanted revenge against. He rubbed his chin, leaning back in his chair from his blueprints, feeling his back crick as he stretched. He even took a little time to prepare something for the girl. Maybe she'd be impressed.

She was awfully cute, and evil. Exactly Jack's type. Though scrawny and lackluster villainy certainly didn't seem to be her type.

It had been a week since Blackfire showed up. He didn't know how many Shen Gon Wu had activated and fought over in that time. Maybe none, maybe dozens, it was impossible to tell. He scrapped everything that detected activated Wu, though he could rebuild one relatively easily from memory.

No one had shown up at his lab either. No Chase, no Wuya, no Xiaolin losers... Jack didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed. He shook his head, bending back down, tapping his pencil as he stared at the blueprints.

Energy...that was the key. He knew the armor would need a substantial power source. For a few moments he thought wistfully of the Eye of Dashi, which could easily power an Iron Man style suit. He sighed, then paused as a door opened, Blackfire floating in, yawning.

It was the early morning, and Jack noticed as Blackfire yawned he hadn't slept a wink at all last night, going over his designs, trying to figure out the power supply he'd need.

"Come on...Iron Man did it, figured out to make a portable power supply like that..." Jack muttered, leaning back and idly balancing the pencil on his nose. Blackfire simply raised an eyebrow at him as she floated over to him, looking over his blueprints.

"Any luck?" she asked, ignoring his stunt. Jack frowned, catching the pencil as it dropped. At least one bonus of no longer going after Wu, his body had healed and he wasn't waking up sore and battered.

"Yes and no," Jack answered, "My robots shouldn't blow up when kicked anymore, but I can't make anything portable enough for an armor."

"Just make the armor big enough to carry it then," Blackfire said flatly, "Easy enough."

Jack frowned, closing his eyes as he rubbed his forehead. "Then it would require more power, which would require a larger battery, and so on and so forth."

"Well you've built robots. Big ones too, complicated ones, right?" Blackfire asked, frowning, "Just use those batteries."

Jack frowned again, shaking his head, "There's a few problems with that, Black." Blackfire scowled slightly at the nickname, not liking it but putting up with it for now, "Robots can be built to compensate for the weight of the metal. I can't. An armor that I can't move in is pretty useless, so I need power to move it while I'm wearing it. If I make it light enough that I can move in without needing it's own power source, then it would be too weak to protect me. That's the same no matter the size. As for complicated, sure, that's easy enough, but I still need the power to do that. If you mean complicated by programming, heck, I could program a system in my sleep, but the power supply needed for that isn't as much of a drain as the simple weight factor. And don't even talk about trying to get airborne or weapons too..."

He leaned back in his chair now, hands behind his head, "I've been looking over those armors we've seen from Stane. They have a good power supply, thanks to all those heads they have to work, but it's leagues away from what Iron Man is using. They simply can't compete. Hammer, maybe...but I think I found a better solution then trying to build one."

"And what's that?" Blackfire asked, crossing her arms under her chest and staring hard at Jack, who gulped slightly at the girl.

"We steal one," Jack answered, and held up an invitation, "Wayne-Stark Energy Expo. They've been working on a power supply to light up cities all across America. The same kind of thing that powers Stane's Iron Man knock offs."

"Which you just said weren't that good," Blackfire said, her frown growing, "So I'll just tell Red X and Black Cat to get those specs when they're getting the Iron Man armor ones."

"No, no, no," Jack said, shaking his head, "Anything Stark Industries has on file is going to be just what they have. Wayne Enterprises...they build some _awesome_ stuff. Give me five minutes alone in their R&D lab, and you'd see something impressive. I'm certain they've cracked this problem, and we can steal the specs from right under their nose."

Blackfire sighed, looking off to the side, thinking it over, "And we can't have the thieves do it because...?"

"They're focused on getting the armor specs," Jack said, waving his hand idly, "Besides, I have an in. My dad's on their board of directors, has invitations to the party. I can get in, legitimately. It'll be easy once I'm inside. Disable some security, hack a few systems, easy."

The alien girl frowned again, not looking at Jack as she thought it over.

"Come on Black, you can even come as my date," Jack grinned, suddenly feeling very brave. Blackfire scowled and narrowed her eyes at Jack. The red head gulped, holding his hands up, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!"

Blackfire sighed, then shook her head, "Fine, we can try this your way. When is this thing anyways?"

"Tonight," Jack answered, rubbing his hands, "Good timing too...Red X and Black Cat are suppose to be going in tonight to get the armor specs. All goes well, and in a couple weeks I'll have some excellent armor..."

He paused, then looked over at Blackfire who had floated off a bit, inspecting a half built robot. She had been staying here for the past week, claiming she had to lay low. Jack wasn't complaining about it, and his parents didn't even seem to notice. He often ate down in his lab, and they certainly didn't notice the extra food going missing. They had people to buy the food and cook it for them.

Red X and Black Cat were back in New York City, planning the heist at Stark Industries, but kept in regular contact with Blackfire and Jack.

"So you still haven't told me why you want to help me get this armor," Jack said, "I know I'm Jack Spicer, Evil Genius," he had found himself dropping the "Boy" part while being around Blackfire, "But I doubt you're doing it out of the kindness of your heart."

Blackfire frowned again, turning back to look at the pale teenager, "I told you, I'm putting together a team."

"A team for what?" Jack asked, "What's the end goal? World domination?"

Blackfire snorted, "Please, like I'd want to rule this mud ball. Place is a dump, a backwater planet in the ass end of space."

"Alright then...Revenge?" Jack asked, rubbing his chin, grinning now, "Yah, that's gotta be it. Those Titan guys? Black, take it from me, revenge isn't the way to go."

Blackfire narrowed her eyes at Jack again, scowling, "And what do you mean by that? Weren't you feuding with those Xiaolin whatever like a week ago, fighting over that Wu?"

"That was _business_. Wasn't personal...sometimes," Jack answered with a shrug, "I wanted to take over the world using the Wu. They didn't want that. We were at odds. Sure, it gets personal, but I don't hate them, much. I might curse them and try to beat them up, but I don't want them dead or anything. We even went out for ice cream once when the Wu was scarce on activating. Whenever you talk about these Titans...You're angry. Really angry. Wuya angry. And that's scary."

Blackfire was quiet for a moment. Out of necessity she had been spending a lot of time with Jack, and while it was clear the red head was a doofus, he had his moments.

"They denied me my birthright," Blackfire said finally, "I am the eldest child, royalty on my planet. _I_ should have taken the throne of Tamaran, but I was skipped, and it was given to my younger sister. I tried...other ways, to get my rightful heritage, and even managed to conquer my own planet. But my sister and those...Titans...stopped me again. My own sister banished me from my own planet, my kingdom! I can not let these transgressions go unpunished!"

"Man, and you said I was too focused," Jack said, grinning. Blackfire growled at him, her eyes glowing now. Jack held up his hands again, looking sheepish, "Hey, hey, hey! I never said I wasn't going to help you! Want revenge on some heroes, I get it."

He spun around in his chair, then kicked it against the desk, wheeling back towards his computer, and started to type on it rapidly. "So you want to fight the Titans. Let's see..."

His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard, and then five images appeared. Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven. "I've been doing a little research here. There's other Titans, but these are the five original. I assume they're the ones you want to go after."

Blackfire nodded, crossing her arms under her chest as she floated forward, staring at the screen, "That's right. Those five...My sister and that...human...especially..."

"Okay then," Jack grinned, cracking his knuckles as he started to type again. The images of the Titans moved to cover the top half of the screen, and four other images joined them at the bottom. Blackfire, Jack, Red X, and Black Cat. "So there's four of us right now. We'll need a fifth."

Blackfire stared at the screen, frowning a little, "I see...I'm not sure about Blackcat, though. I was going to see if Red X wanted in on this though..."

"Okay then we'd need two more," Jack said, typing again, Blackcat's image vanishing, "You want to fight your sister, right? So there's that." Blackfire's image appeared beneath Starfire's, "I'm a better match to fight Cyborg. Red X can fight Robin." Their images moved under the respective heroes, "So we need someone to counter Beast Boy, and someone to counter Raven."

Jack grinned, spinning in his chair to face Blackfire, "Pretty slick, huh? I'd recommend someone who can do some mystical stuff for Raven. Not sure about Beast Boy though. Maybe just a bruiser. We can put a Want Ad up on Evil Craigslist."

"We'll talk later about that," Blackfire sighed, "For now, you should rest, if we're going to get that energy source..."

* * *

Jack frowned, adjusting his tie as he looked around the floor. He was dressed in a nice shirt, sweater vest, and his hair had been combed before coming here. His parents were off somewhere talking with other rich people, and Jack was missing his black coat.

Blackfire had seen him like this, and had burst into laughter upon seeing him. Jack found himself a little glad that the girl could still laugh, though had really wished she didn't see him wearing these dorky clothes.

"Okay, I'm going to sneak out of here now..." Jack said, tapping his chin, talking to Blackfire through an invisible com link. She was waiting in his jet, hidden in the sky. "Get ready to upload the program."

"Got it," Blackfire responded, as Jack turned around. There was a thud, and he hit someone, stumbling back and falling to the floor.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Jack yelled, frowning as he picked himself back up, dusting himself off.

"I'm sorry," the other guy said. He had black hair, combed for the event. He was dressed nicer then Jack. He had a frown on his face, though it wasn't for Jack, as his eyes kept glancing towards the buffet table where a red headed girl was getting a lot of attention from other guys. Jack also did a double take himself. She looked a lot like Blackfire, actually...

"You're...Spicer? Jack Spicer?" the black haired teenager asked after a brief moment.

"Just don't do it again," Jack frowned. He froze, looking back to the boy. How did he know his name? "You...know who I am?" He gulped slightly, worried.

"Uhhh, yah, we've met before," the black haired boy answered with a shrug, "Your dad's one of the board members for Wayne Enterprises. I've seen you at one of these things before."

"Oh, right, right," Jack nodded, slightly disappointed that he was known from that, as opposed to his villainous ways. He supposed it was for the best, "Yah, I hate these kinds of things though. Parents insisted, and I do like all this cool tech."

Jack grinned, rubbing his hands and imagining his armor, once he got his hands on the Iron Man armor and the Arc Reactor data.

"Oh...Uh...I gotta get going," Jack said, looking up now and smiling guiltily as he moved away, realizing he was losing time, "Things to do, people to avoid, you know."

He moved away from the black haired youth, who just shrugged and walked off himself. Jack opened a door and into the hallway, looking around.

"Okay, coast is clear," Jack said, "Now..."

He ducked into a bathroom, and emerged a few minutes later, wearing his black coat, backpack, and his hair now spiked again.

"Was that really necessary?" Blackfire asked over the com link, sighing, "Just hurry up, we don't have all night."

"Yah, yah, I'm going," Jack said, hurrying down the hallway, stopping at an elevator, "Okay, launch the program."

There was a pause, one that went on longer then was comfortable.

"...Black? Did you launch it?" Jack asked after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"I did, stupid thing isn't working. I'm being blocked!" Blackfire responded. Jack could practically hear her scowling, "You said this would work!"

"It should!" Jack responded, pinching his nose and closing his eyes as he thought, "Damn, Wayne Enterprises security is a lot better then I thought it would be. I've hacked into other companies before, figured this wouldn't be that different..."

"Well what do we do now? Pull out?" Blackfire asked, "Ugh, I knew this was a waste of time..."

"No, I'll figure something out," Jack said quickly, staring at the elevator, "We're going to need a distraction..."

The ground beneath him suddenly rumbled, an explosion sounding behind him. The party...

"...Was that you?" Jack asked, tapping his ear piece, "Because something just exploded."

"No, not me, but I like that idea," Blackfire responded, "Should I?"

"No, no, whatever it was, it's what we needed," Jack answered. He held out his hand, his backpack producing what looked like a crowbar. He spun it around and stuck it between the doors. The crowbar glowed slightly, and Jack twisted, pushing the doors of the elevator open. He hopped into the empty shaft, his backpack producing it's two helicopter blades above him, as he descended downwards.

"Okay...let's see..." Jack said, putting his goggles on. The dark shaft became green, night vision activating, "Should be...this floor!"

He pulled out his crowbar again, forcing the door open and zooming inside, landing on the cold metal floor.

The building shook again, plaster falling on Jack's shoulder. He scowled, dusting it off and stepping inside.

"And what are you doing here?"

Jack froze, as someone appeared behind him. He felt something against the back of his head, cold and metal. He gulped, holding up his hands, dropping the crowbar to the ground.

"Turn around," the voice ordered. Jack turned slowly, seeing a figure in a black cloak, one glowing red eye in the hood, the figure's features unseen beyond that. "Who are you?"

"Ja-Jack Spicer...Evil Genius," Jack answered shakily.

"Jack, what's going on?" Blackfire wondered, "Someone's there? Damn it, this is going to hell...I think the building's going to collapse too...And...No...Damn it, _she's_ here! And her little boyfriend!"

Jack couldn't tell Blackfire to be quiet as he stared up at the taller figure. Whoever this was, it wasn't security.

"Jack Spicer, huh?" the figure said, staring hard at the boy, "What are you here for?"

"That's...none of your business," Jack answered, taking a slow step backwards. Maybe if he could attack quickly...

The figure paused, almost surprised, "Oh...you have some resistance...I see...Well then, I assume you're here for the same reason I'm here. The Arc Reactor. That energy...it's just what I need. I can't let someone else have it too. Especially someone who can resist like that meddlesome brat..."

Jack moved suddenly, throwing his fist and punching at the figure's chest, who didn't bother to block. Jack hit something hard, flailing backwards and shaking his hand, grimacing in pain. Whatever he hit had been hard...

The figure took a step back, and with a flourish removed his cloak, grinning at Jack Spicer. Whoever he was before, now the figure before Jack was more robot than man. Most of his face was still human, though the left part now mostly metal with a red glowing eye. Red circuitry was seen on his head, along with his shoulder and forearms. He was black, red, and gray themed, with the stylized image of a horned demon on his chest. His fingers seemed to be more like claws, and they clicked menacingly at Jack.

Jack gulped, looking around. He was realizing he had never really fought someone who intended to kill him. Hurt him, yes, but never really kill him. Hell, he had never fought anyone intending to kill them.

"So you know who I am before I kill you. My name is Brother Blood," the cyborg said to Jack, "Since you were kind enough to give me your name, Spicer."

Brother Blood darted forward, Jack barely avoiding the slash, stumbling to the ground and scuttling to the side as the cyborg spun around, slamming his foot down where Jack had been, cracking the floor.

Jack sprung up, only to find himself hit with a red blast of sonic energy, throwing him backwards, crashing through several computers, where he hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.

"Jack? Jack?!" Blackfire yelled. "What's happening? Damn it, the building's collapsing over you now! Abort the mission, you need to get out of there!"

"Awww, you do care..." Jack said, a little out of it from pain, looking up as Brother Blood appeared above him, grinning down at Jack.

"Damn it Jack..." Blackfire muttered.

"Goodbye," Brother Blood said, almost cheerfully as he held up his hand, ready to rip through Jack Spicer's throat and leave the red head to die, "I really must get that data and get going. Honestly though, I really hoped for someone who could resist my telepathic abilities to be able to put up a better fight."

Jack scowled, clenching his fists tightly. Everyone looked down at him. Chase Young, Wuya, Omi...All of them thought he was a loser, even this guy. He couldn't do anything right.

"I am sick and tired of everyone thinking I'm pathetic!" Jack yelled, slamming his hand to the ground. Brother Blood looked startled, as Jack suddenly brought his hand up, some kind of cannon in his hands now. "Booyah baby! Sonic cannon!"

Brother Blood's human eye widened, as Jack shot Brother Blood with a wave of sound, sending the cyborg flying backwards. Jack got up, blowing over the cannon with a grin, "Built this baby before coming here. Didn't think I'd need it though."

"Jack...how did you...?" Blackfire started, confused, and, Jack noted with a small grin, sounding a little concerned.

"Hey I was going to fight Cyborg," Jack answered with a shrug, "I do my research. His sonic cannon seemed neat. Figured I'd make one for myself."

He pointed it towards Brother Blood now, using his free hand to pull out a portable USB stick, walking over to a still intact computer.

"Okay freaky cyborg guy," Jack said, plugging in his USB, letting it download the information. It would be encrypted, but he could break that later, "Don't move, or I'll blast you again."

Brother Blood shook his head, ears still ringing as he picked himself up, more plaster falling around them, the building started to shake, "Ugh...That...hurt..."

Brother Blood glared at Jack, both his human and robotic eye glowing red now, "You got lucky. It won't happen again."

"Yah, yah," Jack said, "You don't mess with Jack Spicer, or you'll get blasted!"

"Jack, stop messing around and get out of there! I am not digging you out of some rubble," Blackfire said, "Hurry!"

Jack heard a small ding, his USB device getting the data he needed. He turned his head at the sound, and Brother Blood jumped suddenly. Jack screamed, pulling out the USB device and firing with his sonic cannon, missing Blood and hitting the ceiling and walls, the building rumbling, the ceiling beginning to collapse around them. Brother Blood tackled Jack, grabbing the USB device from Jack's hand, shoving him to the ground as a piece of ceiling fell over Jack.

He screamed as it fell, holding up his hands, Brother Blood laughing as he darted away...

* * *

A.N. Muhahahaha!

Will Red X agree to join Blackfire's team in taking down the Titans? Will Blackcat join them too?

Who will they find to replace them if not, and who will be their fifth member?

Will Red X and Blackcat have better luck getting the Iron Man armor specs then Jack and Blackfire in getting the Arc Reactor data?

What is Brother Blood planning to do with the Arc Reactor data?

And of course, will Jack Spicer, Evil Genius, survive?

Find out, later in _Honor Among Rogues_!

As for who that black haired guy was earlier in the chapter, check out _Batman and The First Sons_ which also covers that scene from the other side!

Characters and universes:

Blackfire and Brother Blood from _Teen Titans_ (cartoon)

Jack Spicer from _Xiaolin Showdown_


	3. Showdowns

A.N. Huzzah an update!

In this chapter you'll see Red X and Black Cat work to get the Iron Man armor schematics, and Jack and Blackfire securing a power source for Jack's armor.

Enjoy!

* * *

Stark Towers rose above the skyline of New York City, the night sky only giving a new flavor to the city that never slept. The streets remained crowded, and life continued, but for Stark Towers many had left for the night, and now security was being implemented, security drones and good old fashioned guards keeping the technological secrets of one of the leading developmental companies in the world.

Two figures stood on a roof a few buildings away from the tower, one of them looking at it through a small pair of binoculars. Red X and Black Cat, hired by the exiled Tamarian princess Blackfire and self proclaimed Evil Boy Genius Jack Spicer to steal the Iron Man armor schematics hidden inside.

Their had been a couple other options, such as hitting Hammer International, or finding the original seller of the Iron Man armor specs, a mercenary known as 'Ghost' but both those options had been discarded. Stark Towers was their best chance.

"You'd have thought we could find this Ghost, between the two of us," Red X sighed, putting away his binoculars, "But he just disappeared off the map...Oh well."

He shrugged and stretch, limbering up, as did Black Cat, Red X stealing a few glances at the attractive girl. The two had spent a lot of time together in the past week as they planned the heist, both for the plan itself, such as getting accustomed to the other and working as a team, and the fact the two had hit it off quite well, though neither had revealed their secret identity.

"Their security is good though," Black Cat pointed out as she finished her stretches, "We shouldn't underestimate them."

"Yah, but I've seen, and gotten through, harder," Red X said. He tapped his head, activating a personal computer built into his suit, "Alright, uploading the virus. Should give us what we need. Let's go."

Black Cat and Red X took off amongst the rooftops, jumping a couple before they came to Stark Towers. They each took their own grappling hook, firing it towards the building, swinging in perfect unison as they swung down to a window, landing with a soft thud.

Red X produced an X, slicing through the glass, making a hole large enough for him and Black Cat to get through. They crawled in, Red X putting the glass carefully on the conference table that dominated the room they found themselves in.

"Looks like that virus took care of the window security," Black Cat said, looking around the room, "Now just down the hallway..."

They darted to the door leading into the hallway, Black Cat pausing and pressing an ear against the door. She closed her eyes as she concentrated, then nodded to Red X. They opened the door and hurried down the hallway, stopping outside a large metal door with a security lock on it.

Red X grinned, stepping forward and bringing his left arm up. A HUD display appeared over his wrist, and he typed at the air, accessing Stark security by using his earlier uploaded virus. In a couple moments the door opened, and they were in.

"Jackpot," Black Cat said, stepping forward and producing a small device. She plugged it into the computer, and she began to type rapidly. After a couple minutes, Red X keeping lookout, Black Cat stepped back.

"It's copying everything related to the Iron Man armor," Black Cat said softly, "It'll take a little time."

"No worries there babe," Red X said, "I know how we can kill time."

Black Cat smirked, hands on her hips as she stared back at him, "Come on now, we're on the job. You should be professional. Besides, I doubt you'd take that mask off."

"Who said I'd need to take my mask off? You can keep your's on," Red X replied.

Black Cat suppressed a laugh, looking back and forth. The cameras wouldn't pick them up, and security wouldn't realize something was up for a while, but someone passing by might hear her laughing.

Red X took a step towards Black Cat, then suddenly darted forward, tackling her down as the metal doors leading inside exploded inwards, one of the pieces of metal passing through the air where she had been standing.

They hit the ground hard but not badly injured, alarms beginning to sound as they hurried to get back up.

Several figures in black and gray entered the room, standing tall and intimidating, as another figure stepped through them.

A Japanese girl with short cropped black hair, a red bandana over her forehead, wearing a black outfit with a gray covering. On her chest and all of the other figures was a red symbol, looking like a three toed foot of some kind.

"Oh crap," Black Cat cursed, staring at the figures as they both stumbled up. She glanced back to the computer. They still needed some time until they finished copying the data...

"You two, stand down," the girl said, producing a sword from her back, one of two, pointing it towards Red X and Black Cat, "Under orders from The Shredder, we are here to take the Iron Man armor specifications, for use of The Foot."

"Hey, plenty of data to share," Red X said, holding his hands up, "We don't mind sharing, honestly. Just let us finish here and it's all your's, alright?"

She scowled, shaking her head, "You misunderstand. We are taking it for The Foot, and only The Foot. We will destroy the data after we acquire it."

"Ahhhh, that's a problem," Red X said, shrugging and lowering his hands. Black Cat frowned. Being a thief in New York City, she had heard of The Foot before, and even had a couple close calls with the group. Red X had heard of them off hand, but never dealt with them personally or even indirectly.

"Why don't you go to Hammer International first, then come back here?" Red X suggested, "We'll wait. If we're not here when you get back, we probably just stepped out for a bathroom break."

"You insult my intelligence!" the woman scowled, "Foot Ninja, attack!"

The ninja jumped forward, producing various weapons as they attacked Red X and Black Cat. Red X laughed, spinning around and launching a barrage of his own attacks, knocking back several of them in a handful of blows.

"How much longer do we have, kitty?" Red X called back as he dodged a sword stroke. His hand darted forward and knocked the sword from the attacker's hand, grabbing it as it fell and swung, blocking a shuriken with it before bringing his foot up and knocking back another ninja with a kick to the chin.

"Thirty seconds!" Black Cat called back, knocking back a ninja herself who made a grab for her.

Their leader frowned, stepping forward. At some silent agreement the others stepped back as well, giving their leader space.

"I am Karai, second in command of The Foot Clan," the woman said, pointing her sword towards Red X, "You will bow before me, or I shall end your life."

"Sorry, I'm spoken for," Red X said with a grin beneath his mask, "But I don't she'll mind if we dance."

Red X jumped forward, slashing with his sword, Karai blocking in a smooth motion, metal sliding against metal as she redirected his attack, then darted forward with her elbow, smashing Red X back. The thief stumbled, ducking to the side as Karai swiped downwards.

Red X gripped his sword with both hands, charging at Karai and thrusting, as if to skewer the girl. Karai dodged to the side, swinging down her sword at Red X's arm. Red X grinned, his entire body vanishing, as he appeared behind Karai now, slashing downwards.

A clash, and Karai blocked his attack with her second sword, pulling it partially from it's hilt on her back. Red X landed with a frown, taking a few steps as they assessed the situation.

"...Well that should be enough," Red X said suddenly. He threw the sword at Karai, the girl dodging it easily, Red X using it as a distraction to bound back towards Black Cat, who had the data they needed now, grinning at the ninjas.

"Stop them!" Karai yelled. Red X just grinned, putting hand around Black Cat's waist and waving, pressing a button on his belt. The two vanished in a flash, leaving the Foot Ninja alone...

Karai cursed, then began to give more orders, when another blast of energy knocked several of them back.

"Hey look War Machine...ninjas," Iron Man said, standing in the hallway. Behind him was the silver colored War Machine, "I wonder what they're doing here."

"Why don't we ask them," War Machine said, a gun on his shoulder lowering, warming up.

Karai cursed again, "Foot Ninja, disappear!" She and the others smashed down several smoke balls, Iron Man and War Machine temporarily displaced, trying to get a lock on. When the smoke died down, the Foot Ninja were gone...

* * *

"Ugh...I still don't think I'm ever going to get use to that..." Black Cat said, suppressing the urge to throw up. The two had appeared in a small little hideaway of Black Cat's, Red X warping them there.

"Sorry, but I didn't think our planned escape was going to work," Red X said, sitting down on a chair, "You okay otherwise?"

"Yah, I'm fine," Black Cat said, taking another seat now, producing the storage device with the Iron Man armor schematics, "We got what we needed...We're going to be very rich now."

"Yup," Red X grinned, leaning back. He paused, studying Black Cat, then leaned forward slightly. "So after we deliver the goods and get paid, what are you going to do next?"

"Not sure," Black Cat said, "Maybe take a vacation. I hear the Bahamas are lovely."

"Everyone goes to the Bahamas," Red X said, "But sounds nice, I'd love to see you in a bikini."

"Who says you're coming with me?" Black Cat asked, "I don't often work with a partner, Red."

Red X laughed, then stood up, looking oddly uncomfortable, "Alright then. I'll go first."

He placed his hands on the sides of his mask, feeling the seem between it and the neck, slowly removing the mask, taking it off and tossing it to the side.

"Your turn."

* * *

"Damn it Jack, you better still be alive," Blackfire scowled, moving through rubble quickly. The building had collapsed, and after her sister, Robin, and Batman had taken off, she quickly flew down, digging where the ship said Jack should be.

After moving a rather heavy piece of metal she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, seeing Jack curled up in a ball. He was covered in dirt, but otherwise looked unhurt, slowly uncurling himself.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jack said, bounding up and pulling Blackfire into an embrace, the strength of which surprised Blackfire for a moment, before she pushed him off.

"Don't mention it," she said, scowling now, "Besides, I've put too much effort into this just to let you die."

Jack grinned, dusting his jacket off now, "Takes more then a building falling on me to take me, Jack Spicer, Evil Genius, out."

"You know I could hear you whimpering and crying for your mother over the headset, right?" Blackfire said flatly, deflating Jack's ego.

"Eh...Anyways, I got what we needed," Jack frowned, patting his jacket. He froze, and his patting became more frantic. He cursed, then scurried around the ground, trying to find something, finally stopping as he attempted to move a large piece of rubble, and failing to do so.

"Now what?" Blackfire asked with a sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Did you lose it?"

"No, I...that guy!" Jack said, snapping his fingers, "He must have taken it from me, and gotten out when I got trapped...Damn it."

He sighed, looking around at the destruction, "Wayne probably has the files elsewhere, but I'm not sure how we'll get into them..."

"I'll just hire Red X and Black Cat to get them," Blackfire said, "No problem."

Jack frowned, annoyed he had lost his chance to impress Blackfire, "I can salvage this, don't worry. Look, we can find the data, and that Brother Blood guy. I'll call some contacts."

"I highly doubt you have any contacts who can help us," Blackfire frowned, "We're calling Red X and Black Cat in the morning, understood?"

Jack sighed, hanging his head low and nodding, "Right, right...Well I better go and find my parents, I guess...Meet you back at the workshop..."

* * *

Brother Blood held the device in his hands carefully, moving through the shadowy streets of Gotham, knocking over a would be mugger, in too much of a hurry to kill the man. He slid into the shadows now, coming to a stop in front of what looked like a plain metal door.

He placed his hand against it, and a brief light shone over him.

"Subject Brother Blood recognized," a computer voice said, the door sliding open, allowing Blood to enter, closing quickly behind him.

"I need to make sure that bumbling fool actually got the data before I go to the First Sons..." Blood muttered to himself as he stepped forward. Lights turned on automatically, revealing a small but liveable area. There was a metal table in one corner, with wires and a computer set up to recharge himself.

There was a small fridge as well, for his few still human needs. What dominated the room was a larger computer then the one set up for his recharging. The screen took up most of the upper part of the wall, but there was no keyboard, only a few different ports for interfacing with the computer.

Brother Blood stepped towards the computer, plugging the device into the computer, scanning it for any malware before continuing.

After finding no hidden viruses, he delved into the data, his robotic eye glowing brightly as he decrypted the data, seeing flashes of designs, specs, everything he was looking for.

"Excellent," Blood chuckled, disconnecting the device from the computer, "Exactly what I need..."

He paused, then turned his arm, a panel opening on it, frowning as he looked at data from his own partially mechanical body. "I will have to go to the First Sons tomorrow...I need to recharge. If I were to across the Batman, it might makes things difficult on this low level of power..."

* * *

"What do you mean you _'don't do Gotham'_?" Blackfire scowled as she stared at Red X's image on the screen in Jack's workshop, the evil genius sitting by her, eagerly pouring over the Iron Man armor specs that Red X and Black Cat had sent them.

"Exactly what I said," Red X answered, "I don't do any jobs in Gotham. You hired me to get the Iron Man armor specs here in New York City, and I did that."

Blackfire huffed, shaking her head, "I'll triple your payment."

"No amount of money is making me go to Gotham. You can't pay me enough to tangle with Batman," Red X said, "Especially if you want me to take something from Wayne Enterprises."

Blackfire frowned, "I was hoping you'd agreed to help out with my other job offer, at least..."

"Taking on the Titans?" Red X said, "A bit tempting, honestly, but I'll have to pass. Robin's a goody two shoes but I have to respect him. I have no beef with the Titans, not like you. 'Sides, Black Cat and I have an island vacation to attend to."

Blackfire frowned, "Fine, I'll find someone else."

She turned off the feed, scowling and turning to Jack now, who looked up from the blueprints, already making a few changes here and there as he began to work on his own design derived from the original.

"Fine then, Plan B," Blackfire said, "What do you have?"

"Hmmm, I'm on Plan B?" Jack said, scratching his head, "Errr...find that Blood guy?"

"And how easy would that be?" Blackfire asked, "Who would we have to bribe?"

"Well according to the internet he's been active in Jump City, Steel City, and was the head of H.I.V.E. for a little bit. If we rule out Jump City, then there's Steel City still, or a H.I.V.E. base. Plus at the base we might find someone else to help out with your plan, but, uhhh, their track record dealing with the Titans is worse then me and..."

Jack trailed off, pausing then grinning brightly, "The Wu! I had that idea earlier, but it'll work!"

"We're not using some magic trinkets," Blackfire frowned, "Especially ones from this backwater system."

Jack shook his head, turning to the computer and typing rapidly, "No, one of the Wu...It'll be perfect as a power source. The Eye of Dashi."

An image came up, showing a diamond shape Wu with a red gem embedded in it, three crescent shapes attached to it by two lines.

"The Eye of Dashi can provide near unlimited energy," Jack said, "With this powering my suit...ohhh, it'll be epic." He rubbed his hands together, drooling at the prospect. "Only problem is the Xiaolin Dorks have it..."

Blackfire frowned, looking off to the side, weighing her options.

"...Alright then, we'll go after this Wu," Blackfire said, "But we just need that one. We won't go in over our heads."

"Then let's get ready...We have a temple to raid," Jack said, grinning. This, he could do...

* * *

Jack moved quietly, Blackfire floating by him as they snuck through the Xiaolin temples. It was nighttime, cover for the two villains as they entered the temple that held the Wu.

"Alright, here," Jack said, "Give it a blow, but not too hard." He indicated one of the stones on the ground, that looked just like the others. Blackfire nodded, bringing her fists down and slamming it into the stone. There was a pause, and the others began to move down, creating a spiral staircase.

Jack grinned, hopping down and opening the drawers, looking for the Eye of Dashi.

"Ohhh, Star Hanabi...Ohhhh, Orb of Tornami! Mantis Flip Coin! Monkey Staff! My favorite!" Jack said, finding the staff in question and grabbing it, holding it tightly, "I missed you..."

"Jack!" Blackfire hissed, "Only that Eye thing!"

Jack frowned, looking longingly at the other Wu, freezing when he heard voices, Blackfire stopping as well.

"Man, a Wu at this hour? I was hoping to get some sleep..." Raimundo's voice said.

"As our leader, you must be prepared for every occasion!" Omi's voice responded sternly, "I wonder if Spicer will try and get this new Wu..."

"Haven't seen him for the last few. Wonder if the little fellow's given up," Clay added. They stepped into the room with the Wu vault, freezing as they saw Blackfire and Jack, Spicer still holding the Monkey Staff.

"Looks like he hasn't!" Kimiko said, eying Blackfire, "And who's this?"

"My new evil partner!" Jack laughed, "But I'll tell you what, you guys let us walk out of here with the Monkey Staff-"

"Jack," Blackfire scowled.

"...And the Eye of Dashi, we won't kick your butts," Jack finished with a sheepish look towards Blackfire, "Best deal you're going to get, Xiaolin Losers."

"Let me counter offer," Raimundo said, grinning, "Hate to do this to a pretty girl, but, Crest of the Condor!"

Raimundo held up his right arm his elemental Shen Gon Wu activating, creating a metal gauntlet from his shoulder to his hand.

"Blade of the Nebula!" Raimundo yelled, swinging the sword and sending a blast of wind at Jack and Blackfire. Jack was thrown back, hitting the far wall, while Blackfire held her arms in front of her, being forced back a little, but still up.

"Alright, my turn," Blackfire grinned, eyes glowing purple, shooting a blast of energy at Raimundo. The Xiaolin Monk jumped to the side, barely avoiding the attack.

"Jack Bots, attack!" Jack yelled, picking himself back up, pointing towards the Monks.

Several robots showed up now, firing weapons at the monks who moved in different directions.

"Well I almost missed this!" Clay said, jumping up and delivering a kick to the robot's chest. The robot was thrown back, smashing into the wall, but instead of an explosion the robot was dented, but flew back upwards.

"My time off has let me do a little upgrading," Jack grinned, "Now back off!"

Jack produced his sonic cannon, firing as Omi charged with his Shimo Staff. Omi was hit, being thrown backwards by the attack, Jack descending back into the vault, looking for the Eye of Dashi.

"Arrow Sparrow!" Kimiko yelled, destroying one of the Jack Bots with a blast of fire, before dodging a barrage of starbolts from Blackfire.

Raimundo landed into the vault, staring at Jack and holding up his Blade of the Nebula.

"Sorry Jack, can't let you take any of our Wu!" Raimundo yelled, swinging his sword.

"Reversing Mirror!" Jack yelled, grabbing the mirror from a cabinet, holding it up and blasting Raimundo back with his own wind. Jack grinned and slid the Mirror into his jacket.

He turned, pulling open another cabinet, "Ahah! Found it!" He grabbed the Eye of Dashi, holding it aloft.

"Not so quickly, Jack Spicer!" Omi yelled, swinging his Shimo Staff. The ice weapon elongated hitting the Eye of Dashi and sending it flying!

"Blackfire, the Eye!" Jack yelled as it flew into the air. Blackfire nodded, flying forward and grabbing it.

Kimiko jumped as well, grabbing the Eye of Dashi as well, the two locked in a wrestling match, the Shen Gon Wu glowing...

"Alright then! I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown, umm..." Kimiko paused, looking up at Blackfire, "Who _are_ you anyways?"

"My name is Blackfire," she scowled, "And what the hell is a Xiaolin Showdown?"

"It's a challenge for Wu," Jack Spicer said, flying upwards, "The winner gets the Wu fought over, along with any wagered."

"Fine then," Blackfire said to Kimiko, "I'll accept your challenge."

"I'll wager the Falcon's Eye," Kimiko said, producing the small Wu, "Errr...do you even have any Wu to wager?"

Jack sighed, pulling the Reversing Mirror out from his jacket, and tossed it to Blackfire.

"She wagers the Reversing Mirror," Jack said, frowning slightly. "Name your challenge!"

"Alright, it's a game of tag. First one to tag the other wins!" Kimiko declared.

The ground began to shake, glowing around them as the entire area changed. Jack, Omi, Raimundo, Clay, and Dojo (would have been hiding earlier) were placed off to the side, watching down over the arena.

The arena was huge, covered in rock pillars and rubble Blackfire and Kimiko standing on other ends. The Xiaolin Warriors were now dressed in their blue Showdown robes.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!" Kimiko declared, before leaping forward.

"That means start!" Jack yelled to Blackfire, who frowned.

"I could gather that," Blackfire said dryly, before flying to the side to avoid Kimiko's attack.

Starbolts glowed in her hand, firing at the Xiaolin Warrior.

"Wudai Mars, Fire!" Kimiko yelled, flipping around and producing fire, blocking the starbolts. She landed on a pillar, looking around for Blackfire who had disappeared.

"Falcon's Eye!" Kimiko declared, holding the Shen Gon Wu up, searching through the pillars and rubble.

She was blasted back suddenly from behind, Blackfire appearing and shooting laser beams from her eyes at Kimiko.

"So...she some kind of new robot you built, Jack?" Raimundo asked casually, looking towards their enemy, who was grinning to himself as he watched the battle.

Jack laughed, shaking his head, "Hah! She's not. She's my new ally in evil!"

"She does seem most skilled," Omi said, as Blackfire dodged a fireball thrown by Kimiko, responding with another blast of energy.

Jack grinned. Once they got the Eye of Dashi, Jack could finish his armor...And then these Xiaolin Dorks would really see what he could do...

Blackfire and Kimiko clashed, starbolts hitting with Xiaolin fire, knocking them back. Kimiko hit a column hard, Blackfire shaking her head but otherwise looking unharmed.

"Get her Black! Tag her out!" Jack yelled. Blackfire sighed, then shot forward at Kimiko, pausing and tapping her on the nose.

There was a brilliant flash of light, and the settings returned to normal, Blackfire finding herself holding the Reversing Mirror, Falcon's Eye, and Eye of Dashi.

"Hah!" Jack yelled, laughing as he hurried over to Blackfire, "Told you losers she'd win! Come on Blackfire, let's go!"

Blackfire nodded, and the two hurried off, leaving the Temple in a hurry as the Xiaolin Monks looked to each other, still not entirely sure what had happened...

"I do not think this bodes well for us..." Omi muttered, frowning.

* * *

"Okay...I have to admit, that was a bit of a thrill," Blackfire said as Jack's jet took off, the two of them safely inside. Jack flipped on the autopilot, giddy as he picked up the Eye of Dashi, grinning.

"This was the first Wu I showdowned for," Jack said, looking back up to Blackfire, "I lost too...Ugh..."

"You lost a lot, from what I gathered," Blackfire said dryly, picking up the Falcon's Eye and looking through it, "I suppose these things are interesting trinkets, to say the least."

"More then that," Jack smirked, "Say, if this whole revenge thing doesn't work out for you, want to help me in my evil plan for world conquest? You can have your pick of continents."

"Like I said before, who wants to rule some mudball in the middle of nowhere?" Blackfire responded, leaning back in her seat. "Besides, we're not going to fail."

"Ohhh, it's we now? Awesome!" Jack grinned, giving Blackfire and thumbs up, "And okay then, you get your revenge...then what?"

"Easy, I...I'll..."

Blackfire frowned, trailing off. What _would_ she do when she got her revenge?

"I don't know...go back to Tamaran, maybe?" Blackfire said after a minute of silence, Jack actually being quiet and waiting for her to answer.

"To what, people who don't like you?" Jack asked, snorting, "Trust me, I tried that before. Hated every minute of it...And the one guy who actually wanted me there...Well, didn't help much. Should stick with me! Be fun, and after we take over this, ahem, mudball, we can take over the rest of the galaxy!"

Blackfire laughed, before going silent as Jack chuckled to himself. She turned, looking outside the window of the jet now, frowning a little.

It wasn't the first time, but Blackfire was realizing more often that Jack was a lot more like her then she thought. Plans thwarted by some so called heroes, a family that didn't seem to care about them, and big dreams and plans that no one thought they could pull off.

Her frown deepened...She was growing dangerously close to actually _liking_ the pale human. As he grew more comfortable with her presence, she was seeing less of the boy who wanted to be big, and more of the man who had strayed from his real potential...

She shook her head. Blackfire wouldn't allow herself to develop any sort of feelings for a human. Not like her sister had, at least...

* * *

A.N. Yayyy, an update!

Red X and Black Cat have opted out of Blackfire's offer to fight the Titans, and now Jack has a power source for his armor.

Tune in next chapter as Blackfire and Jack Spicer look for three more members to fight the Titans, along with Jack's building of his suit!

Characters and universes:

Blackfire, Red X, and Brother Blood from _Teen Titans_ (cartoon)

Black Cat from _The Spectacular Spider-Man_ (cartoon)

Karai and The Foot from _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ (2003 series)

Stark Industry from _Iron Man: Armored Adventures_

Jack Spicer, Omi, Raimundo, Kimiko, Clay, and Dojo from _Xiaolin Showdown_


	4. Coming Together

A.N. Sorry for the long wait! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Jack laughed, holding up his hands, watching as his armor was being built, his designs finished and scanned into his machines. The Eye of Dashi was clutched in his hand, for the final piece of the armor, it's power source.

"So how long is this going to take?" Blackfire asked, showing up next to Jack, eyebrow raised as she watched the robots and machinery at work. "Because I have things to do, people to see, teams to wipe out."

"A couple hours and the prototype will be ready," Jack answered, lowering his arms and sighing softly, shaking his head, "Well...six hours."

"Wait, _prototype_?" Blackfire asked, turning towards Jack, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Jack looked sheepish, rubbing his head, "Well...It'll be untested. I have to make sure everything works first. Besides, I'll do that when we're getting the rest of the team, so it won't mess up your plans."

"Fine, fine..." Blackfire sighed, frowning, "I suppose it can't be helped. Though speaking of the rest of the team, has that search algorithm you made came up come up with anything?"

"Oh, yah!" Jack said, grinning again now, "It finished last night! To the computer room!"

Jack hurried off, Blackfire sighing again and floating behind him as they returned to the main portion of Jack's lab. There he sat down in a chair, spinning and sliding across a keyboard, hitting a button, several images coming up.

"So I have some suggestions," Jack said, "Some good, some meh, some kind of out there. I didn't select any of those guys I've worked with before either...I don't trust them."

He pointed towards the screen. Several images sat there. A girl with white hair and pink eyes, a guy who looked like he was made of shadow, another with spikey red hair and yellow streaks, a young Hispanic man, a few different HIVE members, and a couple others.

"So these two are my favorite picks," Jack said, "The girl has what we need, and the guy here is someone we can definitely use."

Two images grew larger on the screen, one of the white haired girl with pink eyes, the second of the young Hispanic man.

"The girl is called Charmcaster. Magic user, has a record. Currently in California. I'm hacking into some satellites to track her and get us her exact location," Jack said, "She's never encountered the Titans herself, but has had run ins with some kind of alien hero or heroes that popped up last summer. Not really active on the net though."

Blackfire nodded slightly, "Alright, she does seem like a good choice. And the other?"

"Mark Allen, or as the Daily Bugle dubbed him 'Molten Man,'" Jack Spicer grinned, typing at the keyboard. The image shifted, showing footage of Molten Man fighting Spider-Man. "He's in The Vault, a high tech prison for super villains in New York City, but nothing we can't handle."

"And why do you think he'd be a good choice?" Blackfire asked, "Seems like he'd be more trouble then he's worth."

"Because I already hacked The Vault," Jack answered grinning, "Some interviews with him, his profile...He claims he can't control his power. Injected with some nanite stuff, and The Green Goblin was using something to activate them. Let me run a scan, and I bet you any terms you want to name I can reverse engineer that signal and make him able to turn that power off and on."

"Or we could use it ourselves and force him to help us..." Blackfire said, rubbing her chin. Jack shrugged, nodding.

"Yah but I think he'd be a better ally if we gave that to him willingly. It would make him more likely to trust us and help us after all," Jack pointed out, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should help him to be _nice._ It's...pragmatic. Besides, you said you were willing to pay in jewels and stuff, right?"

"Yes..." Blackfire said, frowning now, not sure where Jack was going with this.

"Well he's got a gambling problem," Jack answered, "He got himself into this situation because of that. Offer to give him a lot of money if he helps as well? He'll jump at it."

"Ahhh," Blackfire grinned, nodding. Money, jewels...all that didn't matter to her. They were useful, getting others to do what she needed or wanted of them, but for her personally, they were just pointless things. "Then it does look like he'll be a good choice. But we still need a fifth..."

"Yah..." Jack nodded, frowning, "We have some decent choices, but no one I'm really happy with. There's some supervillains running around in this town called Dakota, but they're kind of lower tier if you ask me, except for a couple...and those I wouldn't really trust...or are redundant.

"There are also the HIVE Members. They have a personal grudge against the Titans so I considered them first...but they don't exactly have the best track record against them, and well...these three..." Jack said. He typed at the computer, showing the faces of Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth.

"Gizmo does tech," Jack said, "But I'm way above his league, so having him along wouldn't give us any benefit. Jinx has some bad luck ability or something, but I've heard some stuff that makes me think she might not be too interested in the Titans destruction. As for Mammoth...Well, he's a brute and muscle. I think we can find someone better, but he's probably the best of the bad for this."

Jack spun around, turning towards Blackfire, "So what do you think?"

Blackfire was quiet for a few moments, leaning back in the air and thinking.

"...Alright, I think Charmcaster and Molten Man are the best bets," Blackfire said, nodding her head, "We'll recruit them and figure out the fifth during that."

"Excellent! I'll get the jet prepped and then-"

Alarms suddenly blared, Jack turning in alarm, typing at his computer. He frowned, glaring at the screens as they now showed various scenes outside.

"Intruder! Can't pick them up...oh dear..."

They saw a figure, barely on the screen as it slashed through several Jack Bots, moving in a blur.

"Your enemies?" Blackfire asked, frowning as she looked at the screen. "Those monks?"

"No, not their style..." Jack answered, "Well...they've done this before...but not after what we did earlier. Too little Wu, no obvious reason for it... No, not them..."

"Then who?" Blackfire pressed, scowling.

"I don't know!" Jack yelled, holding up his hands, "It could be some other villains I've run with, but I don't think so...They're not this sneaky."

They suddenly heard the squeal of a door, and the two turned, Blackfire's hands glowing with her starbolts, Jack clutching the Eye of Dashi tightly.

Two swords appeared from the door, forcing it open. A figure stepped forward, glaring. It was female, taller then Jack. She wore black and gray armor, with light blue outfit beneath it. The top half of her head was covered in a strange mask, with her right side of the face orange with a white eye hole, while the left side of her face's mask was just completely black. White hair lowered down from beneath the mask, past her shoulders.

She stood silently for a few moments, Blackfire and Jack Spicer eying the girl.

"...Who are you?" Blackfire finally asked, debating on just attacking the girl.

"...I am The Ravager..." the girl said after a moment, "I heard...you were making a team. To fight the Titans. I want in."

"And what makes you think you can just barge into my-" Jack went quiet as one of The Ravager's swords went over his head, stabbing into the screen behind him.

"I will not miss next time," The Ravager responded, "And I was not talking to you."

Blackfire smirked, laughing a little, "Alright, you got guts. But why should I take you on my team?"

"Test me then," The Ravager said, holding up her other sword, "You will not find me wanting."

The Tamarian stared at the girl, sizing her up, then nodded slightly, "Alright...We needed to find a fifth member. You can come with us as we go to recruit the other two, and we'll see how you stack up then."

"Fine," The Ravager said, stepping forwards, towards Jack. The red headed boy stiffened as her hand darted out, grabbing the hilt of her sword and pulling it smoothly from the monitor, sheathing it along with her second sword.

"We'll be heading out in a few hours," Blackfire said simply, "Once Jack's armor is finished. I do warn you, it'll still be a little bit. We're not doing this half cocked."

"I understand," The Ravager answered, "I can be patient..."

* * *

Jack's jet hovered high in the New York City night sky, invisible to anyone looking upwards. The top was open, Jack shivering in the cold, putting his goggles on over his eyes.

His backpack was different, new now, containing his armor in a more portable form. He looked downwards, smirking. He was on his own for this mission, Blackfire taking Ravager to the west coast to get Charmcaster.

"Alright...first field test," Jack said, then held up the Eye of Dashi.

"Eye of Dashi!" Jack declared, then pressed the Shen Gon Wu unto the clasp on his chest. The magical item sparked to life, giving power to the armor on Jack's back. It began to move, metal shifting and sliding, clicking into place around the evil genius.

Jack smirked as the armor moved around his head, integrating with his goggles now. A momentary pause of darkness, then Jack's HUD came to life. Currently it didn't show much, as he was staring at the sky. It did show his objective marker, and he glanced towards, momentarily feeling vertigo. He was quite a ways up.

His armor was black and red, black on the outer edges, with a red on the inside and around the head, along with various highlights. He flexed his hands, moving his arms and legs carefully. He had done this back at his lab, a quick test, but this was the first try outside of a controlled environment.

"Okay Jack...you know this armor works. You made sure you could fly and stuff before you got here..." Jack said, attempting to psych himself up. Another display popped up, showing the security of The Vault.

"Hmmm...I could free the prisoners...Yah," Jack said, grinning, "Good distraction. Though if that Mark guy tries to leave too...No...No, I'll wait until we're escaping."

He stood at the edge now, shaking a little. Were Blackfire here, she'd probably have just pushed him out at this point. Jack gulped, then fell forward, arms spread.

He plummeted, dropping like a rock, hearing the wind whistle past, moving fast towards The Vault. He twisted in the air now, activating his boosters, slowing his descent as he came towards the prison. He should be hidden by security, but once he busted in, someone was going to come looking for him.

Jack continued to fall, slower now as his HUD kept updating, showing him the best place to break through. He flexed his hand, then fired downwards, smashing through the roof with a repulsor blast, before suddenly dropping inside.

He landed with a thud, stumbling a little and running into a wall. Cursing, he righted himself up, looking around. He was in a white hallway, where several inmates were alone in various cells. A large man in a Rhino looking suit stared at him, and Jack jumped back.

"Who the hell are you?" the rhino man asked, "You ain't that Iron Man guy I heard about..."

"I'm...never mind," Jack said, shaking his head, "I'm not here for you...But I might be willing to get you out of that cell."

He turned, scanning around the hallway, then paused, hurrying towards another cell, where a young Hispanic man sat, looking despondent.

"Hey...you're Mark Allen, right?" Jack asked, hooking up into the keypad by Mark's cell.

"I...yah...who are you, what are you doing?" Mark asked, looking upwards.

"Who I am isn't important right now," Jack answered, "I'm here because I have an offer for you."

"What kind of offer?" Mark asked, then shook his head, "No, no, whatever it is, I can't. Taking up offers and gambling is what got me here in the first place."

"Just hear me out," Jack frowned, "I know about those nanites in you, and that you can't control them."

Mark froze, eyes widening, "No...you're not going to make me-"

"Woah, no!" Jack said quickly, holding a hand up, "I'm not going to make you do anything, not unless you agree. If you can't tell by my fancy duds, I'm good with machines and the like. In addition to a substantial amount of money my...partner, is willing to give you, I can help you get those nanites under control. Give you a way to control them."

Mark was quiet, frowning a little still, "And what would I have to do...?"

"Ever hear of the Teen Titans?" Jack asked. Mark paused, then nodded.

"Yah...West coast superheroes. I heard Spider-Man joined them though..." Mark answered, "But I don't have a beef with Spider-Man..."

"Neither do we. We're going after the original five, so we need a team. You were one of the better choices we had," Jack said, "Think about it...a way to control your nanites, and enough money you can start a comfortable life on some tropical island somewhere."

Mark was quiet, thinking.

"Don't take too long deciding," Jack said, glancing down the hallways. Sooner or later the guards would get the doors open and be pouring in.

"You can really give me control?" Mark asked, "I mean...I don't want to be used again."

"I..." Jack paused, then decided it would be best to tell the truth, for once, "I think so. I can't be absolutely certain. I'll need you to come to my lab, do some scans. Probably make a watch or something you can wear to turn the armor off and on. I can't really promise much more then that right now."

Mark sighed, then stood up, "Alright...I'll do it. But if you're lying..."

"I'm not," Jack said, "I wouldn't want to go into battle with a guy angry at me as a teammate anyways."

The door then opened, and Mark stepped out, "So how do we do this?"

"Hold on tight," Jack said, then paused. He turned, blasting the control panel of The Rhino's door, setting off the alarms now, Rhino's door opening.

He stepped out into the hallway, grinning and crackling his knuckles.

"Hey, thanks kid!" The Rhino nodded to Jack, "You ain't half bad."

As The Rhino turned to charge out, Jack grabbed Mark carefully, then blasted upwards, blowing open another hole in the ceiling, flying upwards...

* * *

Charmcaster waited outside the ordinary looking building, frowning slightly as she waited. This was taking a long time. But she had to be patient. If she rushed this, she could botch the job badly...

She was in L.A. A prominent Magi was in the city for a conference, giving several lectures. She knew from notes from her uncle that this Magi had a certain book that would allow her to participate in an event that was coming in a year. One where the winner would receive an incredible award.

She paused, getting the feeling that someone was watching her. Shaking it off, she reached into her bag by her side, where she kept many of her magical items. Maybe a golem or two...

"Make a move and I will slit your throat."

Charmcaster froze, a blade appearing a hair's width from her throat.

"Ravager, we discussed this. We want her help, not to threaten her..."

Charmcaster gulped slightly, the blade hesitating for a moment, then disappearing. Charmcaster held her hands up, turning slowly, seeing two other figures. The first was a girl with long white hair, wearing a black and orange mask, two swords strapped to her back. The other, a bit further away, was an orange skinned girl with long black hair, wearing purple and a gray metal outfit. She was smirking.

"You are Charmcaster, correct?" the orange skinned girl asked, and then floated forward, holding her hand out, "I do apologize for my associate's behavior. She's new. My name is Blackfire."

Charmcaster paused, then held out her hand, shaking Blackfire's. Her grip was very strong.

"I am...what do you want with me?" Charmcaster asked, "If you don't mind me asking...I am in the middle of something."

"Oh, are you?" Blackfire smiled, "Then I'll be brief. You've heard of the Teen Titans?"

"Of course. Never had a run in with them before though. No reason to," Charmcaster answered, "Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm putting together a team," Blackfire said, "To take them down. I have a personal beef with them. I've already recruited three others. I'm hoping you'll round out the team, five on five."

Charmcaster laughed, shaking her head, "No way. I have no reason to go after the Titans. I'm sorry, but you can find someone else."

"I'm willing to offer you a payment for services rendered," Blackfire said, "It'll be very generous."

"I'm sorry, but you'd have to pay me a lot to-"

"I can offer you ten million in assorted gems and precious metals up front, and more when the job is finished," Blackfire interrupted.

Charmcaster choked on her owns words, looking stunned, "Ten..._million_?"

"If that's too little, I can make it more," Blackfire answered, "Your Earth method of payments still isn't very clear to me. I usually take what I want anyways, but I figured doing this would be better for what I have planned."

Charmcaster was quiet, "...Fifteen million. And after I do this job."

Blackfire smiled, "Fine. And I'll throw in a bonus. Ravager and I will offer our services for this job."

Charmcaster paused. It was a risk...but it would be better to have someone help her, then rely on her golems. They couldn't adapt very well to changes in a plan. And what she was going after...

"Alright deal. I'll have to explain fast..."

* * *

Tokiomi Tohsaka was considered one of the most prestigious Magi in the world. The Tohsaka family was an ancient line of Magi, considered a very powerful one, a master of gem magics.

And Charmcaster's target. In his possession was a book, handed down from his ancestors, detailing much ancient magic, and contained a spell that Charmcaster was after. Either is was on his person, or in his temporary office in this building.

Tokiomi left his lecture, having talked about things that some considered to be magic (or magecraft as he called it), but weren't. Feeling rather confident with himself, he moved through the shifting floor pattern of the building, heading to the top most part of the building, where his payment would be waiting for him.

"Excuse me! Mr. Tohsaka!"

The Magi paused, turning as Charmcaster appeared, grinning and walking towards him, holding out her hand. He smiled at the girl, returning the gesture and shaking her hand.

"I saw your lectures, and I wanted to say I was very impressed. I learned quite a bit about magic, excuse me, magecraft, that I hadn't known before," Charmcaster smiled, "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Ask away," Tohsaka said, turning and waving Charmcaster to his side, "I'm just on my way to pick up something, we can talk as we walk."

Charmcaster nodded, stepping alongside the man.

"Now earlier you were talking about Ki..."

* * *

"This is suppose to get us inside...Why isn't it working?" Blackfire scowled, holding up the charm at the door. She and Ravager were in a long hallway, the only two at the moment. Charmcaster had said it would let them in, but it didn't seem to be working.

"Perhaps her magic is not as potent as she claimed," Ravager said, "Perhaps we should do this the old fashioned way." She drew her sword, pointing it at the door, "Magic or not, I can handle it."

Blackfire frowned. First Jack's algorith had failed to hack into Wayne Enterprises, and now this. At least Jack had been able to act on his feet. But Charmcaster wasn't here, and neither she nor Ravager were experts in the magical arts.

"We might have to," Blackfire said after a moment of thought, "Alright, on the count of three..."

Blackfire held up her hands, energy glowing from them now, focusing into a powerful blast.

A sudden explosion ripped through the hallways, knocking Ravager and Blackfire to the floor. They both scrambled up, looking around wildly, pausing as several figures clad in black appeared, all wearing a symbol on their chests of a red foot...

"Foot Ninja, attack!" a voice called out, deep and terrible. Blackfire and Ravager had only a couple seconds before they were swarmed by by the figures. Blackfire unleashed her starbolts, eyes glowing with energy as she opened fire with them as well.

Ravager pulled her swords out, slashing indiscriminately at the ninjas, moving through them easily.

Her sword slashed, suddenly being blocked by a gloved hand, pushing back and knocking her backwards.

"Humph? Mere children believe they can stop me?" the owner of the hand laughed, stepping forward, the ninjas moving aside.

The figure was tall and imposing, wearing gray metal armor, his face hidden behind a mouthpiece. On his hands were two bladed gauntlets, two metal prongs on each of them.

"...Shredder..." Ravager said quietly, eyes widening. She shook slightly. She had heard of this man...

Shredder laughed, moving forward quickly, slashing at Ravager. The girl blocked with a sword, being forced backwards, The Shredder's assault continuing.

He lashed forward with a powerful kick, hitting Ravager straight in the chest, knocking her backwards and down the hall, where she didn't get back up.

Blackfire spun around, holding her hands up and focusing, creating a large ball of energy, throwing it at The Shredder. The blast hit, knocking the leader of The Foot back a little. But not very much.

"Hmph...weak. I heard Tamarians were strong. It seems I have been misinformed," Shredder laughed, "But maybe you will be more fun then the other..."

* * *

"So that's how that works," Charmcaster said as she walked along with Tohsaka. It seemed he didn't have the book she wanted on him, but then Blackfire and Ravager should be getting it...If not...well, she'd have to go with Plan B.

"Exactly, and..." Tohsaka paused, frowning, "Oh no..."

The magical alarms he had set for his temporary office were going off. Someone was trying to get in.

"Excuse me, I must go," Tohsaka said, "We can continue this conversation at another time."

Tohsaka turned, hurrying up a flight of stairs as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a gem, letting his prana flow into it. Charmcaster frowned, then hurried after him, watching as he navigated the twists and turns of the building, before opening a door with a flourish.

Tohsaka held up his hand the gem glowing with energy. Fire burst from it, taking a few Foot Ninja by surprise. He held up his hand, channeling more prana through his gem, sending a massive pillar of flame.

"Oh, and who is this?" Shredder laughed. He held Blackfire by the collar, badly beaten now. She glared at Shredder, but couldn't do anything as he tossed her aside.

"Foot Ninja! Retrieve the artifact!" Shredder ordered, "I shall deal with him!"

"Humph...You do not know who you are dealing with, thief," Tohsaka said, "I am Tokiomi Tohsaka, a master of gem magecraft. You will be reduced to nothing before my elegant magic."

More fire came from his gem, swirling around and charging forward. The Shredder defended himself, his armor almost seeming to glow for a moment before he grabbed the fire itself, pushing back. He moved his arms, and the fire dissipated in a burst of heat.

"...Your armor..." Tohsaka said, frowning, "What is it made of?"

"Trade secret," The Shredder laughed, clenching his hands together, "If you stand down, I won't have to kill you..."

Charmcaster suddenly ran forward, digging into her pouch. She produced several small balls, glowing with energy. She focused her own power, throwing them forward. Several golem creatures appeared, standing on all fours, large heads roaring at the ninjas.

Charmcaster hurried, jumping over one of the golems, using it to vault over Tohsaka and The Shredder, landing with a small thud on the other side. She spun around, tossing more orbs out, more golems coming forward, several of them attacking the Foot Ninja!

Another explosion, smaller now, as one of the doors was blown open, several of The Foot heading inside. Charmcaster frowned, focusing her magic, creating a symbol in the air, throwing it forward and hitting into another door, the one Blackfire and Ravager had been trying to get into.

"What are you doing?!" Tohsaka roared as Charmcaster focused. Fire burst from the door, reacting to the intrusion. Charmcaster gritted her teeth, focusing, managing to burst through, throwing the door open. She had to get that book...

Blackfire gritted her teeth, propping herself up. Shaking, she pulled out her communicator, pressing a button on it.

"Jack...Jack...damnit Jack, pick up..." Blackfire scowled.

"Huh? What? Blackfire? What's wrong?" Jack asked, his voice coming over the communicator. "Look, I got Mark, I'm heading back to base."

"Jack...Just...shut up," Blackfire scowled, "You need to get here...now. Things...got bad..."

"What? How? I'm at the base with Mark, doing some scans," Jack said, "It'll take me some time..."

"I need you here as soon as possible, Jack!" Blackfire yelled, "Hurry!"

"I...okay, I'll suit up and be there as soon as I can," Jack answered, "Just hang on Black..."

"Humph...told you...not to...call me...that..." Blackfire said, then slumped back, breathing shallowly.

A Foot Ninja left the first room, carrying a small package under his arm.

"Sir, we have retrieved the object," the Foot Ninja said, bowing to Shredder.

"Excellent. Foot Ninja, fall back and regroup!" Shredder ordered. They swarmed now, taking Tohsaka by surprise, throwing him backwards and down the hall as well, moving past him.

"No! I need that!" Tohsaka roared, turning and racing after them.

Shredder smirked, turning and throwing his fist downwards, smashing into one of Charmcaster's golems. He turned to, Charmcaster stepping out into the hallway, smirking, book in hand. She froze, seeing The Shredder standing there. Slowly, she put the book away into her jacket.

She then held up her hand, focusing her magic again, only for The Shredder to dart forward, smashing through the magic, grabbing the white haired girl by the throat, slamming her into the wall.

"Meddlesome witch," Shredder scowled, "I will destroy you three and...what? What is it?"

The Shredder's eyes narrowed, still gripping Charmcaster's throat tightly, the girl unable to breath, choking.

"This is ridiculous! No! I...fine..." The Shredder said. Charmcaster gasped, and was dropped to the ground.

"Be glad your uncle wants you still alive, girl," Shredder growled as he turned to leave, "Pray he never changes his mind..."

Charmcaster just fell forward, losing consciousness as The Shredder walked away...

* * *

"You okay?"

Blackfire awoke slowly, her head pounding. She was lying in a bed. It seemed...familiar, almost...

She turned her head to the side, frowning as she saw Jack sitting in a chair by her.

"...Except for a pounding in my head...I'm fine," Blackfire answered, rubbing it. "Where...am I?"

"Ohh...uhhh...my room," Jack answered, chuckling slightly. "I was running kind of low on beds...Ravager and that Charmcaster chick are on a couple different couches. They're still out. Mark's looking over them at the moment now though..."

"I see..." Blackfire said, looking around. Jack's room was...small. The bed took up most of the space. There was a monitor at the end of it. A chair by the bed, with Jack in it...a door...

"Well...less of a room, more of a sleeping place," Jack said, after a moment, "I spend most of my time in the workshop as it is."

Blackfire nodded slightly, sitting up.

"So what happened?" Jack asked, "You three looked pretty beat up."

"Conflict of interests with some other group," Blackfire answered, "Some guy named 'Shredder.' Had a bunch of ninja, named 'The Foot.'"

"Never heard of them...I can do some research later..." Jack said with a shrug.

"Don't bother. Once we get those Titans, I plan to leave this mudball," Blackfire answered, "Maybe later, one day, if I get bored."

"Right...right..." Jack said, chuckling a little, "Well, it'll take some time for me to scan over Mark and figure out everything with him. Maybe a few days. Should give you three plenty of time to heal up."

"Humph, fine..." Blackfire said with a sigh, leaning back against the wall, "I hate the delay but I suppose it can't be helped."

"Yah..." Jack said, going quiet now after a moment. The silence stretched for a bit, before Blackfire frowned, looking back towards Jack.

"So...what do you plan on doing after all this? Going to go back for the Shen Gon Wu?" Blackfire asked. "That armor might give you a good advantage..."

"I don't know...maybe..." Jack answered, "I honestly hadn't given it much thought..."

Blackfire frowned now, turning her head before speaking.

"Well...I could probably use a good mechanic," Blackfire said, "Someone to pilot things, do those small tasks I don't want to be bothered with. You can have the job, if you want..."

Jack grinned brightly now, "Hey, sounds like fun! I can't wait to tinker with some alien tech! Now...I should check on the others. I'll get you something to eat. Rest up. By the time everyone's up and ready, Mark should be ready as well...and we can go after the Titans..."

* * *

A.N. It looks like Blackfire's team is gathered, and will soon be ready to confront the Teen Titans!

But what book did Charmcaster so desperately want? What did Shredder and The Foot steal that Tohsaka wanted so bad? Find out later, either in the next and final chapter of _Honor Among Rogues_, or in a later story of Earth 42!

And in case you're interested in the lectures Tohsaka gave, head to Tumblr and search the tag 'Earth 42' and look for 'Magic/Magecraft: Earth 42' by your's truly! It's one of the two he gave, and I'm working on the second one. My Tumblr (same screen name as here), also has other thoughts and ideas concerning what you'll see in Earth 42 later one, along with other random stuff.

I also send my fanfic updates there as well!

Characters and universes in this chapter:

Blackfire and Ravager from _Teen Titans_

Jack Spicer from _Xiaolin Showdown_

Mark Allen/Molten Man and The Rhino from _The Spectacular Spider-Man_

Charmcaster from _Ben 10_

Tokiomi Tohsaka from _Fate/Zero_

The Shredder and The Foot from _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ (2003 cartoon)


	5. Outlaws

A.N. Sorry for the wait! It's the final chapter of _Honor Among Rogues_ and Blackfire's team will now face the Titans!

Hope you enjoy this extra long finishing chapter!

* * *

"Alright, let's do this!" Jack yelled, grinning as his armor activated, forming around him. He held up the Eye of Dashi, declaring it's name as he pressed it into the chest plate, the Shen Gon Wu getting protected as well now. His armor moved around his head, integrating with his goggles, his HUD showing up now, displaying information.

Mark Allen held up his left hand, where what looked like a rather ordinary watch rested. He pressed a button on it, his body changing as the nanites in him activated, covering him in a hot molten armor, fire bursting around his hands now, ready to burn as Molten Man.

Charmcaster smirked, reaching into her bag, producing several golems. She channeled her magic and spun, tossing them forward. The golems grew in size, landing with a thud on the ground in front of her, roaring. Energy glowed from her hands as well, preparing another spell.

Rose the Ravager pulled out both swords, slashing the air, eying her opponents with a fierce determination.

Blackfire floated up in front of them, grinning to herself, eyes glowing as she pointed forward.

"Attack!" Blackfire ordered.

Jack flew forward, tackling Cyborg, using his armor to smash into the being, tossing him backwards.

"Uni-beam!" Jack declared, channeling the Eye of Dashi's power into the laser on his chest, sending a powerful blast forward, knocking Cyborg out.

Molten Man threw a ball of fire as Beast Boy shifted into a tiger, hitting the changeling dead on with the blast. Beast Boy reverted back to normal, not getting back up.

Charmcaster swung her arms up, focusing her mana and sending her golems at Raven, who floated upwards, using her shadows to block magical attacks. The golems swarmed at her though, breaking through her shield and tearing her down into the ground.

Ravager darted forward, dodging the initial birdarangs from Robin, her swords flashing as she struck, tearing through him in mere seconds.

Blackfire laughed, slamming her hands together, sending a powerful beam of energy into Starfire, taking the girl by surprise, pouring the energy in until there was an explosion.

Robotic parts rained down, Blackfire smirking. The practice session had gone remarkably well, the robots Jack made for them now little more then scrap. She floated around, looking at her team.

Jack grinned a little, his face revealed again as his faceplate moved to revealed it, but he didn't add that these robots weren't nearly on the same level as the Titans themselves. Blackfire had told him to put these together for basic practice, and to make the others more confident, instead of more apprehensive, like Mark and Charmcaster were. Ravager seemed almost as eager as Blackfire to face the Titans, and Jack himself had stayed surprisingly quiet on the topic now.

"Alright, not bad," Blackfire said, nodding to her group, "This was just practice, but we'll be heading out tomorrow to defeat the real thing. We'll wear them down with some of Jack's robots and Charmcaster's golems, but if we stick to the plan...Remember, stick with your designated target."

Mark pressed a button on his watch, his molten armor disappearing, grinning himself at the device. Jack had managed to find the signal that activated his nanites, and the watch was made to be completely heat resistant and tough to break.

The Ravager just frowned, sheathing her swords and remaining quiet. Slicing robots was all well and good for her, but she wanted to go after the real deal. Mark looked confident, as did Charmcaster.

Jack walked over to Blackfire, his armor shifting off and back into his backpack, sidling closer to the alien girl. Unlike usual he didn't have that goofy grin he normally had on his face when talking to her.

"I'm all for beating down the good guys, but I did just whip up those robots in like an hour," Jack said, "Heck, that Beast Boy Bot was just a refurbished Chameleon Bot of mine. That just require a tiny bit of programming."

"And what are you saying?" Blackfire asked, frowning and looking towards Jack now, narrowing her eyes at the red head. Jack frowned a little, but didn't jump at the glare like he use to. Every day he was growing more and more use to the alien girl.

And with a small frown of her own Blackfire realized she had been growing more use to him.

"I'm saying that when we go up against the actual Titans it's not going to be this simple," Jack answered, "I have to say, I'm glad to be facing a team with another team. But I've been back stabbed enough times to know that when things go down, teams can break."

"I'm not going to back stab you," Blackfire said simply.

"Yah, I trust you," Jack said bluntly, then grinned brightly at Blackfire, "Huh, it's weird. I actually really do...But the others...well..."

He paused, looking back at the others for a moment, then back to Blackfire.

"I don't think Mark is going to back stab us. He's grateful for the help and the money, and he wants to pay back what he owes to us. He'll see this through, but after that...well...Who knows. Charmcaster...I think she's most likely to run on us. Pretty sure she just wants to use us...But then that means she'll have to see this through. That Ravager chick though...She's just...wooo, scary," Jack said, shivering a little.

Blackfire sighed a little shaking her head. She didn't say it but she found herself trusting his judgment like he trusted her's. And she found that extremely annoying.

"And when did you get so good at reading people?" Blackfire simply asked, "Either way, it doesn't matter. Once this job is done, I don't care where the rest of you go." a slight pause, "But that offer for you is still open."

A smirk from Jack now, "Yah, yah. I guess it depends on how they do. And I still think you'll want to stick around on this mud ball. Lots of neat stuff here. Besides...do you have a Plan B?"

"What do you mean by that?" Blackfire asked sharply.

"Like if we _lose_. I don't like the idea either, but I've lost plenty of times and bounced back from it," Jack said, "Don't put all your Wu in one basket."

"We won't lose," Blackfire said simply, "That's that."

Jack frowned a little bit, shaking his head, "Yah, yah..." He sighed, turning his head away from Blackfire, watching the others for a few moments for speaking back up.

"Well let's make sure everything's ready for the fight."

* * *

It was a pleasant day in Jump City. A month had passed since the incident with The Master and Slade, where five other heroes stepped up and became Teen Titans as well. But now in Jump City where the original five Titans, gathered at the usual pizza place they tended to frequent.

"So I've been talking with Spider-Man," Cyborg mentioned, as he devoured his seventh slice of pizza, "He and Turtle Titan have been working together in New York City pretty frequently, and apparently a team up or two with some of the other heroes over there. Think we could help them out and make a Teen Titans New York?"

Robin paused, rubbing his chin as Starfire sipped a bottle of mustard next to him.

"That's a pretty good idea," Robin said, nodding, "I've heard some good things about some of them out there, like Iron Man and War Machine. Think you'd be up to helping them formally set things up? I mean..."

He trailed off, remembering Titans East in Steel City. They were performing well, but after the incident with Brother Blood...

"Hey man, shouldn't be a problem," Cyborg grinned, "Spidey and that Turtle Titan guy seem to get along well with each other, shouldn't be a problem."

"Ohh, ohhh, I wanna go too!" Beast Boy said, "Road trip!"

"Please," Raven spoke up in her usual deadpan, "Last time Cyborg left, Beast Boy kept bothering me nonstop."

Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at Raven as Starfire laughed, Robin shaking his head and chuckling too.

"If Cy's fine with it..." Robin said, looking to Cyborg, "I'm sure the three of us can handle things here, and if we need some help I'm sure we can call for some."

"Yah, okay," Cyborg said, "But if Beast Boy gets my car dirty-"

Cyborg wasn't able to finish his sentence, when a sudden whirling noise sounded above them, and Jack Bots suddenly appeared from the skies, swirling down at them.

"Gahhh, robot invasion!" Beast Boy yelled, pointing and jumping up.

"Titans, go!" Robin yelled, producing his bo staff and swinging it around, hitting one of the Jack Bots that got close, smashing it into another one.

Starfire and Raven both floated into the air, Starfire letting out a way cry as she fired starbolts from her hands, razing through several of the robots. Raven's shadows grew from her, slicing through the robots, grabbing others and crushing more.

Cyborg leapt from the overhang where they are the pizza, grabbing one of the robots as he fell, swinging it downwards and smashing it into pieces as he slammed it into the ground.

Beast Boy changed as he jumped forward now, becoming a large raptor-like dinosaur, slashing wildly into another robot as he hit the ground.

A snorting sound, and Cyborg and Beast Boy turned, seeing brown golems appear from around the corner, pink veins of energy glowing around them.

"Well these are new!" Cyborg commented, using his sonic cannon to fire at the golems, smashing a few of them as they charged.

"Keep it up Titans, we can beat them!" Robin yelled, a birdarang flying from his hands and knocking off the head of one of the Jack Bots as he came downwards, his bo staff smashing through one of the golems.

Starfire turned, eyes glowing green as she prepared to fire. A purple blast of energy hit Starfire in the back, causing her to falter forward, before spinning around and gasping, as Blackfire descended from the sky.

"Sister! What are you doing here?!" Starfire asked, then scowled, "This is your fault, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, dear sister!" Blackfire laughed, "I told you I would have my revenge!"

"If you think some cheap robots and-" Robin began, being interrupted by Beast Boy.

"Freaky rock monsters?" Beast Boy supplied.

"...Those things are going to be enough to stop us, you have another thing coming," Robin finished, shooting Beast Boy an annoyed look, who just grinned sheepishly.

"Of course not...I brought some...allies..." Blackfire laughed, then snapped her fingers, "Get them!"

Jack appeared now, barreling forward in his armor, taking Cyborg by surprise and tackling him into an alleyway.

Charmcaster appeared, pink energy flowing from her, wrapping around Raven and tossing her to the side, before chasing after her!

Beast Boy yelped as a blast of fire came dangerously close to hitting him, Molten Man stepping out of an alleyway, before letting out a cry and charging at Beast Boy, who turned and run, trying to find a better way to counter him!

Swords slashed, and Ravager leapt from a building, Robin's bo staff barely blocking the twin swords, being pushed back, swinging his staff around now for a counter attack, the staff being redirected in a haze of sparks as Rose moved it out of her way with one of her swords.

Blackfire laughed, then narrowed her eyes at Starfire, "And I will defeat you, dear sister, and get my revenge!"

Blackfire charged at Starfire, throwing a powerful punch!

* * *

Jack slammed Cyborg into an alleyway, blasting through to the other side, coming out into a parking lot of a large mall. Cyborg hit a car as Jack pulled back, momentum causing the Teen Titan to keep going.

Jack Spicer floated in his armor, smirking beneath his face plate, scanning over Cyborg as the Teen Titan got back up.

"Gonna take more then that!" Cyborg yelled, and fired with his sonic cannon! Jack held up his hands, creating an energy shield that absorbed the attack, before firing a repulsor blast, knocking Cyborg back, sending him tumbling, where he smashed into another car, partially flattening it.

"Oh, believe me, I got a lot more!" Jack laughed, "You're dealing with Jack Spicer, Evil Genius!"

"...Who?" Cyborg asked, the name not familiar to him, looking confused.

"I...Ugh, never mind!" Jack yelled, scowling now. The Eye of Dashi in his chest plate glowed, directing energy around it, "Take this!"

Jack fired a unibeam, sending the powerful blast forward. Cyborg jumped and rolled, avoiding the blast that destroyed several cars behind him, before opening fire with another sonic cannon.

Jack didn't have time to block, the attack hitting him dead on and sending him backwards, skipping over the payment for a few jumps.

"Ugh...cheap shot!" Jack yelled, getting back up, only to find Cyborg had pressed his attack, charging forward and slamming a fist into his chest, sending him backwards some, stumbling.

"Don't know who you are, but I got to go help my friends!" Cyborg yelled, continuing to press his advantage, unleashing several powerful blows on Jack, forcing him backwards.

"Ugh...Computer...all power...to...shields..." Jack muttered as he was pounded again. His armor beeped, and as Cyborg brought another right hook around, Jack's shield activated. Cyborg hit it, and was tossed back by the energy, Jack breathing heavily.

"Status report..." Jack muttered, his armor doing a full scan.

"Armor efficiency has been reduced to 60% of full output. Armor is holding, but recommendation to pull back and repair," his armor responded. "Energy at 100%, but armor can currently only utilize 40% of energy at a time."

Jack frowned. The mystical Eye of Dashi had essentially a limitless amount of power for his armor to draw on. The problem was that his armor could only use so much power at a time without overloading it.

Cyborg had gotten back up, still looking unhurt, cracking his neck as he eyed Jack Spicer.

"So what, you a robot, or a suit or something?" Cyborg asked, vaguely curious as he figured out his next plan of action.

"...It's a suit..." Jack answered after a moment, "The most advanced battle suit on the planet!" he focused, then fired two repulsor blasts at Cyborg!

Cyborg dodged to the side, firing two sonic cannons now, one from each hand, Jack darting to the side as well, the two circling each other.

Cyborg then stopped, taking Jack by surprise, then rushed forward.

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg yelled, slamming his sonic cannon into Jack's chest, then fired. The blast hit hard, sending Jack flying backwards, tumbling end over end as he smashed through several cars, finally coming to a stop as he hit the trailer of a semi, seriously denting it and falling to the ground.

His chest plate sparked, and Jack shook his head.

"St...status..." he muttered.

"Armor integrity failing...shutting down to initiate repair functions," the armor responded. Jack groaned, his head falling backwards as he lost consciousness, his armor powering down as well.

"I'll be back to pick you up," Cyborg said, frowning, "Right now I gotta help my friends..."

Cyborg then hurried off, back towards the others.

* * *

Raven hit a street lamp, crying out loud as Charmcaster focused, her pink energy glowing brightly.

"Azerath Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven declared, her black energy blasting through Charmcaster's pink energy. Charmcaster stumbled back, as Raven focused, ripping the street lamp she had hit earlier out of the ground, throwing it at Charmcaster.

Charmcaster jumped upwards, barely avoiding the metal pole, before landing and reaching into her pouch.

"Take this!" Charmcaster yelled, throwing what looked like several small gray stones with pink veins on them. They hit the ground, and five golems grew from them, roaring and charging at Raven.

Raven waved her hand, sending waves of black energy on the ground. One of the golems crumbled from the hit, but the others jumped into the air, managing to avoid the attack. They tackled Raven, forcing her to the ground.

"Got you now!" Charmcaster laughed, grinning as she stepped forward.

Raven scowled, then disappeared through her shadows, leaving the golems confused, and Charmcaster's laugh stopped abruptly, turning around to try and figure out where Raven had gone.

"So are you just running then?" Charmcaster spoke up, "I guess I can't really blame you..."

"Fool...Do you really think your magic is a match for mine?!"

Charmcaster spun, Raven appeared from a black portal in the wall, a shadow claw coming from her, grabbing Charmcaster and slamming her into the building across the street.

The golems roared, charging at Raven now. Raven focused, flying upwards into the air, her shadow arm bringing Charmcaster back, throwing her at her own golems, smashing another one.

Charmcaster was released, scowling as she forced herself back up, shaking her head.

"I don't know who you are, but you better give up now..." Raven declared, floating back down to the girl.

"No...way!" Charmcaster yelled, focusing now, her eyes glowing pink, holding up her hands. Her bag flew open, and several blades glowing with energy shot forward, slashing towards Raven, who dodged to the side, crying out as one of the blades grazed past her arm, inflicting a cut.

Raven bit back a curse, her eyes briefly glowing red as her rage began to boil up. She forced it down, instead holding her hand up as Charmcaster produced more orbs from her bag.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven shouted as Charmcaster tossed the orb, grabbing it in a bubble of her own magical energy. Inside, the energy exploded, condensing on itself, Raven starting to push it back.

Charmcaster's eyes widened, holding up her hand as her own mana came to life, shooting towards Raven's bubble, the black and pink energies fighting for dominance.

Soon, however, it started to become clear that Raven was winning, and Charmcaster released her spell, leaping for safety as the power came flying at her, creating a large explosion in the street, sending gravel and concrete flying.

"Po dra bufan uv Ledgerdomain E lymm vundr y dunnahd uv bufan!"

A powerful burst of pink energy shot through the debris, taking Raven by surprise and sending her flying back, Charmcaster racing forward now, her magic flowing more.

Raven stopped her momentum with a flap of her cape, black energy glowing around her, focusing her own magic, the gem on her forehead glowing.

Charmcaster let out a yell, firing a burst of pink energy. Raven focused, disappearing with a swish of her cape, the energy hitting nothing.

Charmcaster stopped, turning, but too late as Raven appeared by her side. Raven's leg went up with a kick, taking the white haired girl by surprise, knocking her backwards. Charmcaster stumbled, and Raven pressed her attack, a knee coming up and hitting Charmcaster in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

Charmcaster keeled over, and Raven focused, grabbing Charmcaster with her black mana and slamming her into a wall. Charmcaster tensed, then relaxed, knocked out. Her golems' eyes faded, Charmcaster now out of commission. Gently, Raven lowered her to the ground. Raven then put her hood back over her head, then turned to head back with the others.

* * *

Beast Boy hit Molten Man, having changed into a rhino for a counter attack, smashing him through a tree, barreling through the nearby park.

Mark grabbed Beast Boy's head, focusing and heating his hands up. Beast Boy let out a roar, throwing Molten Man off, stumbling backwards and changing back to normal, his hands patting at his head.

"Augh, hot, hot, hot!" Beast Boy yelled, "Augh it's like the reverse of an ice cream headache!"

Molten Man picked himself back up, the grass around him burning away and leaving a circle of ash.

"Come on man, what's your problem?" Beast Boy wondered, "Have we met before?"

"Sorry, it's a job..." Molten Man answered. He flung his hands forward, throwing a burst of fire at Beast Boy, who changed into a hummingbird and darting to the side, avoiding the blast before changing back to his regular form.

"And it doesn't help you share a certain resemblance with someone I _really_ hate!" Molten Man yelled. Green, pointed ears...a lot like a certain Goblin that got Mark into all this in the first place. He then charged forward and threw a punch, letting out a loud yell as he did so.

Beast Boy dodged to the side, becoming a gorilla and hitting Mark with a punch of his own, wincing as Mark went flying backwards, shaking his fist.

Mark slammed into a tree, breaking it in half. He roared in rage, grabbing the top of the tree, focusing. Fire burnt along it, and Mark tore it upwards with a another roar, throwing the flaming tree at Beast Boy.

Beast Boy trumpeted loudly, turning into an elephant and charging forward, smashing through the log and continuing towards Molten Man. Mark didn't have time to react as Beast Boy slammed into him, sending him flying to the side. Mark flew end over end, falling straight into the pond of the park.

Steam hissed around Mark, the teenager clawing his way out of the water, breathing heavily as he glared at Beast Boy, who had changed back to his regular form, staring towards Molten Man.

"Oh man, that's fire! You're a fire guy! Water!" Beast Boy said. He turned into a cheetah, darting forward. At the last second he shifted into a kangaroo, bringing his legs up and kicking Molten Man in the chest, sending him back into the water.

Steam shot up again, bursting into the air with a terrible ferocity, Beast Boy hopping back and waiting, looking to see where Molten Man might try and reemerge.

Suddenly the steam seemed to stop...and across the pond a figure emerged, shirtless and tanned, pulling himself out of the pond and coughing.

"Got yah!" Beast Boy yelled, jumping into the air, turning into an eagle and flying over the pond. Mark turned, eyes wide as Beast Boy changed into a elephant once more above him!

He fumbled with the watch on his wrist, pressing the button, feeling the nanites start to change him again...

Beast Boy slammed into the ground over Mark, then paused, feeling his bottom begin to grow very hot.

Molten Man roared, picking up the elephant Beast Boy, throwing the Teen Titan away from him, where he hit the ground hard, changing back to normal now.

"Enough playing around!" Mark yelled, fire bursting around his hands now, "It's time to end this!"

Beast Boy sighed, eying Mark carefully. That watch on his wrist...was it changing him...?

Slowly, a plan formed in Beast Boy's mind, and he darted forward again, charging as he turned into a rhinoceros once more, hitting Molten Man.

Mark took the hit, struggling against Beast Boy, trying to burn the changeling as he was pushed back.

With a grunt of effort, Beast Boy moved backwards. Before Molten Man could press the attack, Beast Boy changed into a tyrannosaurus rex, roaring, causing Mark to take a step back. Beast Boy then swung his tail around, hitting Molten Man and sending him once more into the lake.

The steam burst into the air. Beast Boy hesitated for a moment, then darted into the hot water, the steam disappearing soon after wards.

The water bubble for a bit, seemingly quiet, when it suddenly burst open, Beast Boy having become a squid, one tentacle tossing Mark to the shore, another holding the watch triumphantly.

Mark coughed up water, rolling over unto his back, head spinning as Beast Boy walked out of the lake, whacking some water out of his ear, holding the watch.

"Guess without this you can't change!" Beast Boy grinned, then frowned, "The others...I'll be back, don't go anywhere!"

Beast Boy changed into an eagle, flying off, clutching Mark's watch in his talons as he went.

Mark just closed his eyes, drifting out of consciousness.

* * *

Robin's bo staff spun around him, blocking Ravager's swords. He jumped backwards, landing on top of a parked car in the street. Ravager let out a yell and jumped forward as well, her swords slashing through the car like it was made of butter.

However Robin had already jumped backwards again, avoiding the attack as he studied Ravager's moves.

"Who are you? Why are you even attacking us?" Robin asked. Her outfit...it was much to similar to _his_...To Slade's...

"I am the Ravager!" Rose declared, glaring at Robin with her one visible eye, "You are responsible for the defeat of my father! The man you know as Slade..."

Robin frowned. So the similarities weren't just superficial...

"Your father is a megalomaniac," Robin said simply, "He needed to be stopped. Is he behind this? Did he bring all of you here to beat us?"

"No," Ravager said simply, "The others come for petty things. Money. Power. Vengeance. I come to restore my father's honor!"

Ravager's sword blurred, slicing at Robin. The sword missed him again, slicing through part of his cape, the Boy Wonder dodging to the side, producing a couple throwing discs.

"You don't have to do this!" Robin yelled, throwing the disc. Ravager leaped high above them, avoiding the freezing gas which would have stuck her to the concrete, slashing another disc Robin threw, parting the two halves to the side as it exploded behind her, landing in front of Robin neatly.

"Have to? Perhaps not. But honor demands it," Ravager said, slashing at Robin, who barely managed to block in time, stumbling back, "You are weaker then I thought you would be..."

"Because I don't want to hurt you if I can help it," Robin answered, narrowing his eyes as he spun his staff around, keeping an eye on Ravager. "I think you're just misguided. We can help you."

Ravager frowned, but paused, puzzled over Robin's words. This was the warrior her father had obsessed over? The one who he wanted to train, to make his protege instead of her?

She gripped her swords still, moving carefully, Robin still watching her every move, both ready to strike if the other moved.

Ravager looked upwards, seeing Blackfire and Starfire battling over the city, locked in conflict, sibling rivalry to it's ultimate extreme. She glanced back down to Robin, then glanced around the street they were on. She could hear the explosions, the fights of the others not too far off.

With a flourish, Ravager suddenly sheathed her swords, then nodded to Robin.

"Alright then...We can talk..." she said quietly.

* * *

Blackfire let out a war cry as she tackled her sister, both of them shooting upwards into the air, the Tamarian sisters locked in battle as they tumbled through the sky.

Starfire shouted back, slamming her hands down on her sister's back, forcing Blackfire to let go, the older sister falling down before she straightened up, dodging to the side to avoid a blast of starbolts from Starfire.

"You're not going to win this time, sister!" Blackfire scowled, "Your precious friends can't help you now!"

"I do not need the help of my friends to defeat you!" Starfire shouted, firing a blast of energy from her eyes, Blackfire letting herself drop to avoid the blast, before flying back towards Starfire.

Blackfire through a punch, hitting her red headed sister in the jaw, sending her flying backwards, shooting forward still and letting loose with a series of bone crunching blows, knocking Starfire back repeatedly.

"I will have my revenge! I will defeat you, defeat these precious Titans of yours, then I will be the strongest! I'll be the one everyone cheers!" Blackfire yelled.

"I...what?" Starfire said, confusion in her eyes for a moment, before a sudden understanding dawned, only to be cut short as Blackfire punched her in the gut.

Starfire let loose with a blast of energy, sending Blackfire reeling backwards, holding up her hands and sending a wave of starbolts at Blackfire. Blackfire held up her arms, blocking the attacks, only for Starfire to use them as cover and come flying in, letting loose with a kick that sent Blackfire flying backwards several yards before she managed to regain control of her flight.

"Sister, listen to me!" Starfire yelled, "I have never desired to see you hurt, to see you brought low! I have always loved you!"

"Lies!" Blackfire shouted back, her eyes glowing with energy, "Everyone always loved you better! They thought I was a freak! Not suited for the throne! I should have been the one to rule Tamaran, but you were chosen instead!"

Starfire floated there, quietly for a moment, blinking softly, a few tears forming.

"Sister Blackfire...I...I never knew..." Starfire said quietly, "I never knew that's what you thought...I..."

"Save it!" Blackfire growled, firing a blast of energy from her eyes, Starfire barely dodging them, "You're lying, just like always!"

Starfire clenched her fists, shaking a little, staring at her sister.

"...I am sorry sister. I did not know. Whether you believe me or not, I can not allow you to defeat me and cause harm to my friends," Starfire said softly, then shot forward, taking Blackfire by surprise, throwing her own punch and sending Blackfire flying backwards.

Before Blackfire could right herself, Starfire had continued forwards, firing a blast of energy from her eyes again, before letting loose with her own barrage of blasts.

Blackfire was strong, even for Tamarian standards. But she was arrogant, always sure of herself. She often lied and charmed her way through things, rather then use brute force.

Starfire was also strong, even for Tamarian standards. And while she preferred to talk to others and find a more peaceful solution, she fought hard, and fought often, as a member of a Teen Titan. Her role as a hero of Jump City often meant training, and real world instructions on how to use it.

And this showed. Starfire was faster, stronger, and in the end a better fighter then her older sister, blasting Blackfire backwards repeatedly, overwhelming her.

Blackfire glared at Starfire, clutching an arm that was in considerable pain after a punch from Starfire managed to hit a nerve. Starfire's expression remained one of some sorrow, which only infuriated Blackfire more.

"I...won't...lose..." Blackfire coughed, holding up her good hand. Energy glowed there briefly for a moment, then died out. Blackfire's eyes closed, and she started to fall...

* * *

"Armor reboot complete. Internal repairs have finished enough for movement."

Jack's armor came back online, and a moment later, so did Jack, rubbing his head through his helmet, moaning softly as he picked himself back up.

"Ugh...this feeling is all too familiar..." Jack frowned, "Computer, status..."

"Armor integrity at 23%. Recommend returning to base to complete repairs," the computer chimed. Jack frowned, rolling his eyes.

"Yah, yah, I know that. What about the others?" Jack asked. The computer was silent for a moment, then chimed up again.

"Mark's watch is currently deactivated. No magical energy from Charmcaster is detected. Unable to track Ravager. And Blackfire is currently plummeting to the ground."

"What?! Where?!" Jack yelled, looking upwards. His computer processed the request in a time frame too short to count, highlighting the form of Blackfire. It also showed Starfire, who was trying to catch her.

"Thrusters, on! Plot an intercept course! We're going to catch her!" Jack yelled.

"Warning, unadvised, recommend returning to base."

"Override!" Jack yelled, then shot into the air. He could feel his armor rattling around him as he shot towards Blackfire, angling out on an intercept. He didn't pay any attention to anything else, focused on the black hair girl that was falling.

He held out his arms, and with a sudden start he caught her, twisting in the air to bring his rocket boots to a stop, slowly coming to a stop before he landed on the ground. With his armor on the Tamarian girl was surprisingly light, unconscious in Jack's arm.

"Is she okay...?" Jack asked quietly. His helmet came off his head, receding backwards, the rest of his armor doing the same as it's condition deteriorated too much after his mad dash to catch her, revealing his black coat, red hair, and pale skin.

"We'll find out. But you're all under arrest..." Robin said. Jack looked up, seeing the five Titans coming towards him. He frowned, stepping back. He still held Blackfire closely, eyes darting back and forth, stopping as he saw Ravager behind the Titans. Had she betrayed them...?

Very slowly Rose brought a finger up to her lips.

Jack paused, then grinned. Even with his armor out...

"Jackbots, activated fall back procedure!" Jack yelled suddenly, "Get the others and cover us!"

The Titans turned, as Jackbots appeared from the skies, dropping out of their cloak, swarming towards the Titans.

Ravager produced her swords, dashing forward and taking Robin by surprise. At the last second her hand moved, and she knocked the Boy Wonder out with the hilt of her swords, before landing on a Jackbot and flying upwards on it.

Two more appeared by Jack, one taking Blackfire and flying upwards, Jack stepping on the other one and grinning as he was lifted into the air.

At the park and in the other street, two other Jackbots grabbed Mark and Charmcaster, bringing them up to the air.

"Hahahahahaha! See yah later Titans!" Jack Spicer laughed, holding his arms up, "This isn't the last time you've seen me, Jack Spicer, Evil Genius!"

As the Titans fought off the Jackbots, Jack, Blackfire, Charmcaster, Mark, and Rose got into Jack's jet, which blasted forward, heading back towards Jack's base.

As they did, Jack then finally winced, rubbing his arms and letting out a small whine. Jack was still a wimp in the strength department, and Blackfire had been heavy in his arms...

Jack then sighed, glancing back towards Rose, the only other conscious member of the group right now.

"So...what happened with you?" Jack asked, after a moment.

"When I was fighting Robin, he offered to help me," Ravager answered, "I looked up and saw that Blackfire was losing her fight. I did not think the rest of you would fair much better. I do not wish to take on all the Titans, simply Robin. So when the rest of you are more capable, I will have a better chance at fighting him without needlessly worrying about the other Titans."

Jack smirked a little, shaking his head, "That little faith in us?"

"No, Spicer," Rose answered, "I had enough faith that we would still be able to try again another day..."

* * *

Jack was working on his armor, holding up a glove and inspecting it, trying to figure out where he could better place the power lines to give it a better oomph. It had been a few days since the fiasco at Jump City.

Mark, Charmcaster, Rose, and Blackfire were still crashing at his plate. His parents hadn't noticed the increase of food Jack brought into the basement. They all had different reasons to stay.

Mark had nowhere else to really go. He talked briefly about heading to Vegas, but hadn't still, even after Jack whipped him up a new watch to turn his nanites off and on. He couldn't head back to New York City. The city was on complete S.H.I.E.L.D. lock down, after some kind of attack had decimated part of it, with a sudden increase of super powered gangs...

Charmcaster tended to wander, but lately she had been staying here too, often going over various books, one in particular that she had stolen from Tokiomi Tohsaka back when they recruited her. She often kept a bit to herself, but still joined in conversations with the others between her breaks.

Rose the Ravager also had nowhere else to go, and Jack's many Jackbots provided entertainment for Ravager as she sliced and diced them with her swords as she continued to train.

As for Blackfire...she was often quiet, frowning a bit. She had paid the others, even if they weren't successful. But now she was often listless, not floating around, instead walking around the basement Jack used for a room and workshop.

Blackfire wandered towards where Jack was, taking a seat and watching him for a minute as Jack worked. After a small sigh, she finally spoke up.

"...Ravager told me you caught me when I was falling," Blackfire said, after a moment, "If you've been looking for a thank you, you shouldn't be. I'm tough, I'd have been fine."

Jack smirked, putting the glove on and pointing it towards a target across the room, flexing the fingers before he looked back towards Blackfire.

"I know," Jack answered, "But we're a team. Gotta stick together. And speaking of which, I had an idea..."

Blackfire frowned, Jack turning towards her now, grinning brightly.

"It's been kind of cramped here. I was thinking we should get our own place," Jack began.

Blackfire's eyes widened, and for a brief moment Jack could swear he saw a blush, before it was quickly replaced by glowing eyes and a glare.

"Spicer I don't know what you're thinking-"

"Woah, woah, woah! Not _us_. I mean..._us_," Jack said, holding up his hands, indicating himself, Blackfire, Mark, Charmcaster, and Ravager, "Get some place, fix it up. Turn it into a headquarters. Room to expand."

"Expand into what?" Blackfire asked, frowning and calming herself down now.

"Well...you're going to run out of money eventually. I was thinking, we could be some kind of villains for hire. Do things for people, steal stuff, provide cover, things like that," Jack answered, "I've been looking around, and with H.I.V.E. busted down, there's no competition."

Blackfire paused, thinking it over. It wasn't a bad idea. Blackfire didn't exactly want to stay on Earth, but...she didn't exactly want to leave. She told herself it had nothing to do with Jack, or the others, but simply because she hadn't gotten her revenge yet.

"...Alright. And what do we call ourselves?" Blackfire asked.

"Spicer and The Spicer-ettes," Jack said with a grin. Blackfire narrowed her eyes and shot a small blast of energy, Jack yelping and jumping back.

"Kidding, kidding! Geez it was just a joke, you look like you needed one," Jack said, brushing off his shirt, "I was thinking...The Outlaws."

"Outlaws, huh?" Blackfire said, mulling that over, then smiled.

"Blackfire and The Outlaws? I like it," Blackfire said, "Let's do it."

* * *

A.N. And so _Honor Among Rogues_ comes to an end!

Is this the last you've seen of the villainous group that's now for hire, going by the name of "The Outlaws"? Of course not! Expect to see them appear in later stories, and possibly a starring role in others! There's a lot happening in the world of _Earth 42_.

For now, I'm heading back to _Avengers Assemble_ to get that story wrapped up. So prepare for the Ray Sphere Blast to finally happen in that story, and the Avengers of Earth 42 gather to take on Kessler, The First Sons, and other villains scrambling for power in the Big Apple!

Blackfire, Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and Rose the Ravager from _Teen Titans_

Jack Spicer from _Xiaolin Showdown_

Mark Allen/Molten Man from _The Spectacular Spider-Man_

Charmcaster from _Ben 10_


End file.
